Fresh Addeen out to prove his worth at SSJM meet

PETALING JAYA: Disappointment is an understatement for Mohd Addeen Idrakie.

The 23-year-old squash player is heartbroken after being reduced to a bit-part role at the SEA Games last month.

The world No. 112, who won the team gold and singles silver at the Singapore SEA Games in 2015, was only selected for the team event.

To make things worse, he only played two matches and watched haplessly as Malaysia lost 2-0 in the semi-finals against the Philippines.

The national No. 5 is determined to put that disappointment behind and is bent on proving a point when he competes at the Malaysian Tour Squash Circuit (SSJM) No. 10 at the NSC Squash Centre, Jalan Duta today.

“I was so disappointed with my role at the SEA Games,” said Addeen.

“It felt it was not fair and what’s worse is that the team couldn’t even win the gold.

“My coach Ajaz (Azmat) told me the best way to make up for the disappointment is to get results at the SSJM meet.

“I’m also feeling quite fresh since I barely played during the Games and I’m aiming for the final.”

Addeen is seeded third and takes on qualifier Gurshan Singh in the first round.

He is expected to meet fifth seed Ondrej Uherka of the Czech Republic with the winner likely to face second seed Mohd Syafiq Kamal in the semi-finals.

The other Malaysians in the fray are Sanjay Singh Chal, Ong Sai Hung and Valentino Bong.

In the women’s event, world No. 50 Rachel Arnold is the top seed while there are 10 other Malaysians – Aifa Azman, Aika Azman, Andrea Lee, Ooi Kah Yan, M. Kiroshanna, Chan Yiwen, Lai Wen Li, Nazihah Hanis, Yee Xin Ying and Noor Aina Ampandi – in the main draw.