PETALING JAYA: National squash player Rachel Arnold cruised her way into the second round of the London Classic after defeating England’s Lucy Beecroft on Tuesday (Sept 2).

World No. 19 Rachel took just 17 minutes to take down world No. 38 Beecroft 11-7, 11-5 at the Alexandra Palace in London.

They last met in 2023 at the Richmond Open in Virginia, with Rachel taking the win after Beecroft retired in the third game.

Rachel now faces a stern test ahead in the second round as she meets top seed Olivia Weaver of the United States on Wednesday (Sept 3).

World No. 4 Weaver has won all five of their previous meetings, with the most recent coming in May at the PSA World Championships when they met in the second round in Chicago.