Jesse stays on course for grudge showdown with Hammas

PETALING JAYA: Second seed Jesse Foo stormed into the third round of the boys’ Under-13 category at the Hong Kong Junior Open squash tournament and stayed on course for a grudge showdown with top seed Hammas Tarar of Pakistan.

The 13-year-old Kelantan lad is a top prospect for the future and is undefeated in his age group, having won all the national junior circuits this year.

Jesse was also a semi-finalist in theMilo All Star and a finalist in the Penang Junior Open and the Asian Juniors. But he lost to Hammas on all three occasions.

Yesterday, the stocky Jesse received a first-round bye and was ruthless in the second round, demolishing Hong Kong’s Kwan Tsk Lok 11-2, 11-2, 11-2.

He will face another local hopeful – Tsang Cheung Fung – for a place in the fourth round.

If the second-seeded Jesse makes his way to the final, he should have a chance to avenge his losses to Hammas, who was given a free ride into the third round when his opponent Brandon Ng of Hong Kong withdrew.

“It was good to get into the competition and it was a good start, just the way I liked it,” said Jesse in a text message.

“I was disappointed with my Asian Juniors result (losing to Hammas in the final) but at least I put in a much better performance compared to the Milo All Star and Penang meet.

“This time, however, I want to win the tournament and I want to beat Hammas.

“But it will not be easy and I need to get to the final first.”

National junior coach Andrew Cross said that Jesse, who declined an invitation to join the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) earlier this year, has good potential for the future.

“Jesse is big compared to others his age and that is an advantage,” said Cross.

“He also has a good squash brain and should use both his weapons to good effect.

“Hopefully, he’ll do well here and earn the chance to compete in the British Junior Open next year.”

Besides Jesse, five other Malaysians – MohdHafiz Zhafri, WangPeng Soon, Kuljeet Akash Singh, Mohan Suddesh Kannah and Mohd Aqif Azahari – also cruised into the third round of the Under-13 category on the first day of competition.