By Suzanne McFadden
Kiwi squash star Leilani Joyce was angry with her loss to world No 1 Michelle Martin in the final of the Australian Open.
But she is adamant she can knock Martin off her perch by the end of the year. Joyce, playing in her first Australian Open final, lost
7-9 0-9 3-9 on Sunday night.
"I was so gutted that I lost," she said. "I was so used to everything going so well this year, that it was hard to take. After years of getting to the semifinals, now I'm in the finals and I think, I can do this. And I still believe I can."
She had to remind herself what a formidable opponent Martin is. The 32-year-old Australian did not concede a game during the $19,000 tournament, winning her seventh Australian Open title.
Joyce, now ranked No 3 in the world, is planning to meet Martin again at three tournaments before the highlights of the year, the World Open in Seattle in October and the British Open in November.
She is second seed for the Singapore Open in a week, then plays in two lucrative tournaments in Cairo.
"Everyone is beatable - a lot of it comes down to confidence," Joyce said. "I'm looking at this as a stepping-stone to the World Open.
"Michelle won every major tournament last year, but she was beaten by Sara Fitz-Gerald at the world championships. I'm thinking 'that could be me this year.'"
