Hong Kong's Vanessa Chu
claimed the first WSA World Tour title of her career after
upsetting third-seeded Malaysian Vanessa Raj in the final of the
Women's Malaysian Squash Tour Leg 3, the WSA Challenger 5
event at the Nicol David International Squash Centre in Penang.
The 20-year-old No.5 seed
made her breakthrough in the quarter-finals when she downed experienced
Latasha Khan, the 42-year-old top seed from the USA.
Raj also pulled off an upset
in the semi-finals - ousting compatriot Rachel Arnold, the second
seed, in four games to make the third Tour final of her career.
The final was the pair's
third Tour meeting in Penang in two and a half years - with Chu looking
for her first win. The Hong Kong underdog, in only the second tour final
of her career, took the opening game after a tie-break - then broke away
to beat Raj 12-10, 11-4, 11-9 in 41 minutes to claim her maiden Tour
title.
"I'm so, so happy to win
my first WSA title here in, Penang," said Chu
later. "I hope I will continue to play my best
squash again next week in the fourth leg of the Malaysian Tour in Bukit
Jalil, Kuala Lumpur."