For squash player Lee Ka-yi, the first 10 months of this year were a great time. The 18-year-old Hong Kong junior team member represented the city at two premier events - the World Junior Squash Team Championships in the United States and the Asian Junior Squash Team Championships in Sri Lanka, where she finished third.
However, she would have never expected there was still something more exciting waiting for her before the year ended.
Lee, who graduated from Form Seven at Ying Wa Girls' School this year, competed for the last time in the Inter-school Squash Competition in October, reaching the semi-finals, but losing to HK junior teammate and eventual winner, Ho Ka-po.
But then came the first of her 'magical moments'. She won the Hong Kong Junior Squash Closed Championships for the first time in November.
Then she qualified for the main draw of the Hong Kong Open, held from November 13-20 , by beating local player Elise Ng and England's Lauren Shelby. Her skills steered her to a contest against world number 2 Jenny Duncalf in the biggest annual international squash tournament in town.
'It was an incredible chance for me to play against this top player,' Lee says. 'I just relaxed and played quite well. I never dreamed I would win a set from her.'