Eain Yow’s inspiring run in Qatar Classic ends

PETALING JAYA: National squash player Ng Eain Yow failed to advance into the third round of the Qatar Classic but not after making former world champion Karim Abdel Gawad sweat.

The 20-year-old showed moments of brilliance in the first two sets before he went down fighting 11-9, 13-12, 3-11, 4-11, 4-11 against the world No. 10 from Egypt.

Eain Yow rushed to a 5-1 lead in the first set before winning it to stun Karim, who was once the topranked player in the world.

World No. 42 Eain Yow showed more of his quality as he went up 8-3 in the second set before Karim came back to level it at 9-9. But the Malaysian remained cool and calm to finish it off, and in doing so, frustrating the experienced 28-year-old.

It looked like Eain Yow was about to cause a massive upset in the tournament but it went downhill from then on, as Karim took control of the match to win the next three sets convincingly to enter the third round.

Despite the loss, it was another strong performance from the talented youngster after he notched one of the biggest victories of his career in the first round on Saturday when he upset home favourite and world No. 24 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5.

It was Eain Yow’s first victory in a Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour Platinum event.

Eain Yow’s steady progress is a good sign for Malaysia. Prior to this, he played a pivotal role in the team that defeated Hong Kong in the final for the gold medal at the Indonesia Asian Games in August.