Bowler Arianne Tay wins Singapore International Open for third senior title

Arianne Tay celebrates en route to winning the women's open title at the 55th Singapore International Open. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Kimberly Kwek

UPDATED Jun 14, 2025, 12:49 AM

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SINGAPORE – Having returned from a tournament in the United States just a week ago, national bowler Arianne Tay did not feel confident about her game as she headed into the Singapore International Open.

The month-long schedule at the Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour meant that the 20-year-old had limited practice on the competition lanes at the SingaporeBowling @ Rifle Range, and she was not in peak physical condition.

Her worries proved unfounded on June 13, when she defeated Malaysia’s Lavinia Kho 245-176, 244-193 in the women’s Open grand final to claim her third senior individual title.

After her win in the step-ladder event, Tay said: “There was a lot of worry and doubt, and throughout the days of bowling, I still continued doubting myself. I wasn’t sure of myself, so today’s performance made me a bit more confident.

“I have to give myself some credit that the hard work that I’ve put in on and off the lanes has paid off – it’s a confirmation that what I’m doing is helping and I’m on the right track.”

Working with her coaches helped ease Tay’s concerns, particularly when it came to converting spares, a scenario that made her tense as she did not want to miss.

Despite her fears, she had a strong showing at the Singapore International Open after a six-game roll-off where she tallied a 1,333-pinfall total, just 35 pinfalls behind top seed Kho.

Arianne Tay claimed her third senior individual title at the Singapore International Open on June 13. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Teammates Nur Irdina Hazly (1,325) and Jermaine Seah (1,307) completed the top four to qualify for the step-ladder finals.

The second-seeded Tay began her campaign with a convincing 206-130 victory over Seah in the semi-finals, setting up a clash with Kho in the grand final.

She took the first game 245-176 and overcame an early setback in the second, recovering from an open frame in the first after a split to score eight strikes and seal the title. She also pocketed the top prize of $15,000.

Tay credited her recent stint on the PWBA Tour for helping her refine her game – she approached the tournament as a learning opportunity and even finished ninth in the BowlTV Open in May, won by compatriot New Hui Fen.

While she was pleased with her performance, she acknowledged that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

She pointed to her performance at the Malaysian International Open in May, when she did not advance past the qualifying round, as a reminder of the sport’s unpredictability.

Tay said: “I don’t think I should be letting these results affect the rest of the competition too much.

“It’s something that I can relish for this little while, be happy with my result and know that the work I put in has paid off, but it’s not consistent because look at Malaysia.

“Going to PWBA helped me learn, I was happy with my results and then coming here.

“Bowling is just very erratic, there’s always ups and downs, so I’ll take every competition like it’s a new competition, the way I take every shot by just focusing on the shot itself.”

Malaysia’s Rafiq Ismail completed a hat-trick of men’s Open titles in Singapore. The second seed defeated compatriot Megat Zaqrul Haiqal 243-221, 193-190 in the final to claim the $25,000 prize.

Malaysia’s Rafiq Ismail completed a hat-trick of men’s open titles in Singapore. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

It was a breakthrough for the 27-year-old, who finished runner-up in his last three finals at the national championships, IBF World Cup and Professional Bowlers Association’s Scorpion Championship.

“I’m really speechless. I thought I lost already when I opened three frames (in the second game) and I just thought to myself to try my best,” said Rafiq, who also won the Singapore title in 2017 and 2019.

“I’ve finished second three times and if I’d finished second again this time, I would’ve been very upset so this is a boost.”

The 2018 world champion also dedicated his triumph to his father, who has been battling heart and kidney illness, saying: “This is definitely one of the wins that I’m going to remember because my father is sick back home and every throw, I kept thinking of him and that was a boost for me.

“I dedicate this win to him.”

Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.

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