KUALA LUMPUR: Harleein Tan proved her pedigree as a rising star in Malaysian squash by emerging victorious at the Dutch Junior Open.
The 13-year-old was a class act as she took the girls' Under-15 title in style by beating second seed Savannah Moxham of Belgium 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 in the final in Amsterdam on Sunday.
Despite having a slow start, the Negri Sembilan-born roared to life from the second game as she overcame her opponent with an array of winners.
Harleein had reached the last four without dropping a single game.
She faced a huge challenge in the semi-finals going up against top seed and home favourite Renske Huntelaar.
However, she defeated the Dutch girl 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 before capping the week with another excellent showing in the final.
It is certainly a positive sign for Harleein, who is slowly achieving her potential since her breakthrough in 2020. She won the British Junior Open Under-11 crown as a 10-year-old that year.
Harleein, who is coached by Pakistani Zulfiqar Khan, also won the Under-13 title at the Asian Junior Championships last year.
And taking an Under-15 title against all odds is certainly a measure of things to come in the future.
"I am very happy with my performance," said Harleein.
"I was seeded joint third, but did one better by beating the top seed in the semi-finals.
"It was a tough match and after a five-setter, I had to prepare myself both mentally and physically to face Savannah, whom I had lost to a week ago at the European Junior Open.
"It is certainly sweet revenge for me but now I will go back and train harder for my next tournaments — the Hong Kong Junior Open (Aug 1-5) and the Asian Juniors in Dalian, China (Aug 16-20)."
Meanwhile, it was certainly a strong family outing, as Harleein's younger brother, Hisshan Nair Tan, finished fourth in the boys' Under-11 category.
