India & Malaysia Strike Gold At Asian Junior Championships by Howard Harding
photo WSF
February 6, 2017
- Favourites India and Malaysia fulfilled their seedings in the Asian
Junior Team Squash Championships, winning the men's and women's gold
medals, respectively, in the 18th staging of the biennial regional
event in Hong Kong.
Velavan Senthilkumar, the reigning British Junior Open champion and
Asian Individual Junior champion from Chennai, put India into the lead
against second seeds Malaysia, the defending champions, in the men's
final - despatching Ong Sai Hung 12-10, 11-0, 11-2.
When Malaysian number two Darren Rahul Pragasam took a 2/0 lead in the
second match, it looked as if a decider would be on the cards. But the
plucky 18-year-old Indian Abhay Singh, also from Chennai, staged a
mighty comeback - surviving a tie-break fourth game to record an
impressive 10-12, 7-11, 11-5, 14-12, 11-6 victory to give the title to
India.
It was India's first triumph in the championships since winning the title for the first time in 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The women's final was a repeat of the 2015 climax in Malaysia between
defending champions Malaysia and Hong Kong China, the 2011 champions
appearing in this year's final for the fourth successive time.
Sivasangari Subramaniam, the reigning Asian Individual Junior champion
who made her senior debut for Malaysia in December's WSF Women's World
Team Championship, put her country into the driving seat with an 11-5,
11-5, 9-11, 11-5 win over Lui Hiu Lam.
The title was sealed by Kuala Lumpur-born Andrea Lee, who beat Hong Kong number two Cheng Nga Ching 11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4.
The win marks Malaysia's seventh women's Asian Junior title since 1993.
RESULTS: Bright Smart Securities 18th Asian Junior Team Championship, Hong Kong China
Men's Final: [1] INDIA bt [2] MALAYSIA 2/0 Velavan Senthilkumar bt Ong Sai Hung 12-10, 11-0, 11-2 Abhay Singh bt Darren Rahul Pragasam 10-12, 7-11, 11-5, 14-12, 11-6
Bronze medallists: Hong Kong China & Pakistan
Final positions: 5 Iran, 6 Republic of Korea, 7 Jordan, 8 Singapore, 9 Sri Lanka, 10 Japan, 11 Chinese Taipei, 12 Macau
Women's Final: [1] MALAYSIA bt [2] HONG KONG CHINA 2/0 Sivasangari Subramaniam bt Lui Hiu Lam 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5 Andrea Lee bt Cheng Nga Ching 11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4
Bronze medallists: Japan & Singapore
Final positions: 5 Republic of Korea, 6 India, 7 Sri Lanka, 8 Chinese Taipei, 9 Macau
