Harris stuns top seed to clinch U-17 crown
KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor’s Muhammad Harris Ramlee finally nailed his first REDtone Kuala Lumpur International Junior Squash Championships title in his sixth outing.
And the joint third-fourth seed did it in style by bouncing back from a set down to stun top seed Mohd Amir Amirul Azhar 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 11-5 in the boys’ Under-17 final in the Nicol David Arena glass court at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
This is the second time Harris has reached the final in the championships. In 2013, he lost to Muhd Hafiz Zhafri Abdul Harif in the Under-13 final.
The 16-year-old Harris, who has been featuring in the championships since 2012, was delighted with his win over Mohd Amir, who was the British Junior Open Under-13 runner-up last year.
“I never expected to beat Amir after losing the first set. It was a
wake-up call for me. I changed my game plan by playing long rallies and it paid off,” said Harris.
“The second and third sets were touch-and-go but I did well to collect points at the crucial stage. But the pressure was on me when I lost the fourth set.
“However, I never gave up and played exceptionally well to win the deciding set.”
The Form Four Student of SMK Aminuddin Baki said the win was the boost he needed ahead of the Scottish Junior Open in Edinburgh
from Dec 27-30 and also the British Junior Open in Birmingham from Jan 3-7.
“I hope to do well in my Scottish Junior Open debut. I must thank the Selangor Squash Association and also a private company for sponsoring my trip for both the tournaments in Scotland and England,” said Harris, who hopes to turn professional when he’s 20.
In the girls’ competition, K. Sehveetrraa made history by winning her fifth title in her sixth final appearance..
The 12-year-old Kedah player lived up to her top billing by beating Negri Sembilan’s Yu Jie Chen 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 to retain the girls’ Under13 title.
She made her debut in 2012 where she finished runner-up in the Under9.
A year later she won the Under-9 title and went on to win the Under- 11 twice in 2014 and 2015, and Under-13 twice in 2016 and this year.
Sehveetrraa was thrilled with her success and she’s looking forward to making her British Junior Open debut next month.
“I’m a bit nervous but excited as well to play in the British Junior Open,” said Sehveetrraa.