Bray’s Denis secures British Junior crown
Bray student makes history
LAST weekend witnessed an absolutely magnificent result for Bray’s Denis Gilevskiy, as he won the British Junior Open U13 Championship, the first such victory by an Irish player since the 1920s according to organisers. .
The Presentation Bray student beat English boy Sam Osborne Wlyde 3-0 - 11/2, 11/6, 11/6, in emphatic style showing great maturity and skill to dominate the match.
Denis had a convincing first game which he won 11/2. Denis was very powerful and Sam nervous in that first game.
But in the second, Osborne settled somewhat and he came back at Denis in the middle of that second game, to lead 6-4.
Denis steadied himself and played some super length at 8/6 and a super drop at 10/6 to win the second.
In the third game it was a similar story with Sam going 2-0 up. At 2 all Denis played a beautiful drive down the left hand wall to a winning length.
It was close but then Denis turned up the pressure with a lovely drop at 4 all.
He dominated the next few points and played beautiful patient squash to eventually pull away 5/4, 6/4.....8/4.
On 9/6 his hit a cross court drive to give him match ball which was sublime.
He won it with a stroke which was a pity and a little harsh on Sam, but there was no doubt who was going to win this match.
A really super match and Denis demonstrated a maturity, great skill and a great game plan, that belies his years.
Mount Pleasant, his home club can be so proud of their player and well done to all at Mount Pleasant for their contribution in helping to make this happen.
“Congratulations Denis - British Open Champion 2017,” said a spokesperson for Irish Squash.
“As there is no official World Championship at this age, the British Junior Open is the unofficial World Championship, with all the best players in the world playing in it.
“And Denis is the only winner from Europe, with all the other seven British Open titles going to Asia. So what an achievement for Denis, from everyone in Irish Squash. We are so proud of you,” they added.
Denis’ father Dmitri told the Wicklow/Bray People that his son trains six days a week and that he witnessed his older brother Nikita, who is now on a squash scholarship in the U.S., playing at a high level when he was very young and this helped him to start playing.
Denis’ first coach Henry Galanders said that the British Open victory was “on a different planet”.
“You can’t get bigger,” he said. “From the very first time he arrived in you could see he had hughe talent and he was only five or six at the time,” he added.
Denis is currently being coached by Angus Kirkland at Mount Pleasant LTC in Dublin.