High five in Jordan
Junior squash team exceed expectations at Asian Junior Championships
KUALA LUMPUR: Although Malaysia sent just nine players to the Asian Junior Squash Championships in Jordan, they went home as big winners after bagging five of eight titles at stake.
Aira Azman started the ball rolling when she overcame Hong Kong’s Toby Tse 9-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 to defend her girls’ Under-13 title at the El-Hassan International Squash Centre in Amman yesterday.
Joachim Chuah then clinched title No. 2 when he downed India’s Yuvraj Wadhwani 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 in the boys’ Under-13 final.
It is 12-year-old Joachim’s first major title.
He lost to Pakistan’s Assad Ullah in the semi-finals of the same category last year.
Jessica Keng then won Malaysia’s third – and also her first – Asian Junior crown by after beating M. Kiroshanna 11-8, 11-9, 11-7 in an all-Malaysian Under-15 clash.
Mohd Amir Amirul clinched the boys’ Under-15 title after edging India’s Neel Joshi 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9.
The fifth and final title was won by Siow Yee Xian, who defeated India’s Tushar Shahani 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 in the boys’ Under-17 final.
“I’m very happy with the players. It’s a great result for us because we came here without the older players and these are the next generation of players,” said national junior coach Andrew Cross.
“It’s also good for Joachim and Jessica.
“They played really well to win their first Asian junior title.
“This result also shows how successful our junior programme is and we’ve always got good players down the line,” he added.
I’m very happy with the players. It’s a great result for us because we came here without the older players.
Andrew Cross