Harleein wins the GU13 Title at the Asian Junior Championships

Squash scholar from Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar, Harleein Tan, has won the girls’ under 13 title at the 29th Asian Junior Individual Championships (AJIC), held in Pattaya this month. 

This is Harleein’s 22nd Championship Title that she has secured in a row at state, national and international level. She holds titles from the British Junior Open and, most recently, the US Junior Open in December 2021. 

The AJIC was a closed tournament where the top four players from 14 member countries in Asia were selected to compete in four age categories (U13, U15, U17 and U19). Harleein clinched the U13 title after beating Hong Kong’s Chloe Lo 11-3, 11-2, 11-0 in just 14 minutes. Overall, Malaysia swept up four out of the eight titles at stake, including the boys’ and girls’ U13, boys’ U15 and girls’ U19 titles. 

Harleein said: “I was proud to represent Malaysia in this Asia’s top event. Honestly, it gives me a certain amount of stress as well. However, I know that I have been training consistently and I should play my level best. 

It was a wonderful experience to clinch the championship title! I would like to thank my coach Zulfiqar Khan and KTJ school coach, Hafifi. My appreciation also goes to my school, KTJ and the community for their unwavering support. 

My next tourneys are the German Junior Open (1st to 4th July 2022) and the Dutch Junior Open (7th to 10th July 2022). Thus far, I have been balancing well with my schooling and squash’s training. It’s tough but that’s what it takes.”