She was unseeded and did not expect to go far at the World Junior Squash Championships in Chennai.
But Sneha Sivakumar still went further than any other Singaporean had done in the tournament when she bowed out in the quarter-finals, after an 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 loss to English third seed Lucy Turmel on Saturday.
Sneha had upset two seeds en route to her top-eight finish. The 17-year-old had started off the Under-19 tournament with an 11-6, 11-5, 3-11, 11-2 win over Aira Azman of Malaysia.
She then shocked English sixth seed Elise Lazarus 10-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 in the second round, before posting another upset in the last 16, this time claiming the scalp of Egyptian 12th seed Ingy Hammouda (7-11, 11-6, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9).
Sneha told The Straits Times over the phone: "I'm satisfied... I went in with a huge disadvantage because in Singapore, we don't have a glass court.
"Making the quarters is a big deal for me, especially since I haven't really played in these conditions."
The most striking difference between a glass court and a traditional concrete one is the behaviour of the squash ball. A player may also find it harder to judge distances to the wall.
Still, Sneha, who won a silver and two bronze medals at last year's SEA Games, was delighted with her overall showing.
"I surpassed my expectations," said the teen, who won a silver in the team competition, and bronzes in the women's singles and doubles in Kuala Lumpur.
"I didn't even look at making the quarter-finals, and just took it match by match and tried to push through each one.
"It feels pretty good to beat two seeded players - it can't be a fluke if you do it twice."
Singapore Squash Rackets Association technical director Allan Soyza said: "We are all ecstatic. It's the furthest a Singaporean has ever gone in this tournament. And to beat an English girl and an Egyptian girl (two traditional powerhouses in squash) is no small feat."
Sneha's good showing in Chennai comes on the back of a successful year. After earning medals at her first SEA Games, the Raffles Institution student won the Scottish Junior Open girls' U-19 title in December. A month later, she won the Australian Junior Open U-19 girls' final.
