C for character
Ameeshenraj shows grit to defy odds and win British Junior title
KUALA LUMPUR: No one gave C. Ameeshenraj a ghost of a chance to win the boys’ Under-15 title in the British Junior Open squash championships.
But the Negri Sembilan player – seeded joint fifth-eighth – defied the odds to stun top seed Dennis Gilevskiy of Ireland to win his first title in the prestigious championships in Birmingham on Sunday.
Ameeshenraj showed true grit by coming back from a set down to win 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 in 37 minutes.
Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) director Major (Rtd) S. Maniam was impressed with Ameeshenraj’s performance.
“He has put in a lot of hard work of late in training and that has paid off handsomely. No doubt it was his best performance in the championships,” said Maniam.
“Ameeshenraj is the only player who’s seeded joint fifth-eighth to reach the final in the championships and win the title.
Malaysia had five players in the final with two winning.
M. Nickhileswar won the first title, living up to his billing in the boys’ Under-11 category.
The Penangite came back from a set down to beat second seed Chris Baddour of Egypt 9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-6.
Malaysia’s runner-ups are Harith Danial Jefri in the boys’ Under-13, Whitney Wilson in the girls’ Under- 11 and Aira Azman in the girls’ Under-15.
Maniam added that the Malaysian players have good potential and was thrilled to see five in the finals.
“We won two titles but credit also goes to the other three players who were unlucky to lose at the crucial stage,” said Maniam.
In the boys’ Under-13 final, Harith had a match point at 11-10 in the fifth set against Abdallah Eissa of England before losing 12-14.
“The junior players are looking good but they have yet to reach their full potential.
“We’ll continue to work hard to make sure we get better results in future competitions,” added Maniam.