KUALA LUMPUR: National No. 3 Rachel Arnold was stretched to the limit by Aira Azman in the second round of the Ace Malaysia Cup Squash tournament at the Dato Mohd Said Sports Complex in Seremban today.
Fifth seed Rachel edged national champion Aira 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 5-11, 15-13 in 57 minutes.
World No. 39 Rachel will face world No. 19 Farida Mohamed of Egypt for a place in the semi-finals.
Second seed Farida ousted veteran Low Wee Wern 11-3, 11-0, 11-4 in 18 minutes.2
Rachel, 27, said she felt quite relaxed despite playing five sets against Aira.
"I was trailing in most of my sets and I had to push myself really hard to get my shots to beat Aira.
"I played Farida once in the World Championships in Chicago in 2021, and I beat her 3-1 in the first round. But she has improved a lot since then," said Rachel.
