Rising junior squash player C. Sailajja claimed the girls’ under-17 title at the second leg of the National Junior Circuit held last Sunday at the Nicol David International Squash Centre in Penang. The 15-year-old credited the venue, named after her idol and former world No. 1 Nicol David, for providing a significant boost to her performance.

Sailajja described the court as a "magical place" that brought her good luck, drawing confidence from the knowledge that David trained there. Her victory came after a challenging three-set match against Sabah’s Amber Kristy Muyou, with final scores of 11-8, 1-11, 11-4, 11-7 in a 28-minute contest.

Having taken up squash at the age of eight, Sailajja recalled a memorable encounter with Nicol David in 2024, saying she was initially shy but managed to interact with her idol, who she found to be very kind. Last year, Sailajja was ranked fourth nationally in the girls’ under-15 category and has continued to demonstrate her potential within the junior circuit.

This recent win marks Sailajja’s third title of the year, adding to her earlier successes at the Junior Open tournaments in Singapore and Negri Sembilan. Born in Johor, she aims to follow in David’s footsteps and ascend to the highest levels of the sport.

Sailajja is scheduled to compete next at the Malaysian Junior Open, set to take place from October 13 to 18.