Amirul not afraid to face older boys

KUALA LUMPUR: Fourteen-year-old Muhd Amir Amirul Azhar is ready to mix it up against boys older than him in the REDtone 11th KL Junior International Open squash championships, which begin today at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil.

Not only that, the Kelantan player has even set himself the audacious target of winning the boys’ Under-17 category and end the year with another title.

Amirul’s confidence is sky high after lifting the Under-15 Asian Junior title in Amman, Jordan, in July. He beat India’s Neel Joshi 3-1 in the final.

“I have improved quite a bit since playing in the older age categories over the years. I’m confident of good outing in the KL Juniors.

“One thing I’ve learned from playing against older opponents is how to switch my game plans around when necessary. I’ve also learned to cope with pressure better,” said Amirul, who has been coached by Andrew Cross for a year now.

Amirul is also using the KL Juniors as a warm-up for the next year’s British Junior Open in Birmingham from Jan 2-6.

It will be his fourth appearance in the prestigious annual event in England.

He finished eighth in his maiden outing in the Under-13 category in 2015 and emerged runner-up last year.

Earlier this year, he finished 11th in the Under-15 category.

“My target for the British Junior Open is to finish among the top four in the Under-15 division. A good performance in the REDtone will boost my confidence ahead of the tournament in Birmingham,” said Amirul, a Form Two Student of the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS).

Amirul, who received a first-round bye in the REDtone tournament, beat Hari Roshan Arasanandan of Kuala Lumpur 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 in the second round.

Amirul will face South African Nicholas Cronje in the third round today.

The African defeated Jacob Paul of Malaysia 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-2 in the second round.

Amirul expects his main challenge to come in the semi-finals, where he is likely to meet joint third-fourth seed Uzair Shoukat of Pakistan.