KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s squash team reaffirmed their supremacy in Asia by clinching a remarkable double victory at the Asian Team Squash Championships held in Dalian, China today.
All eyes were on the men’s team final as Malaysia made a bold decision to change their player line-up against Hong Kong.
Ng Eain Yow, Malaysia’s top player, showcased his dominance with a commanding win over Lau Tsz-kwan, securing points in a straight-sets 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 win in just 37 minutes.
However, Malaysia faced a setback when their second player, Addeen Idrakie Bakhtiar, succumbed to Henry Leung in a closely contested match 11-4, 7-11, 2-11, 7-11.
In a brave move, Malaysia’s coaching staff fielded 20-year-old Ameeshenraj Chandaran as the third player to challenge Tang Ming-hong.
The strategy proved successful as the Negri Sembilan-born player sealed Malaysia’s victory with a hard-fought 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 win after an intense 58-minute battle.
“Alhamdulillah, we made the right decision to place the right player in the final,” said national coach Shahril Shahidan.
“We know Eain Yow can deliver one point, whereas the Addeen match will be 50/50.
“We decided to put Ameeshen in because he has the advantage of being younger and having a higher fitness level, considering Ming-hong does not have a good fitness level. If we put Syafiq (Kamal) in, it might be 70/30 in favour of Hong Kong because Syafiq lost 3-2 in their last two meetings.
“Overall, the players played with all their heart, and we were brave to put in young players.”
This victory also redeems the disappointment from the 2022 edition in Cheongju, South Korea, where the Malaysian men’s squad had to settle for a shared third place with Hong Kong.
Earlier, the national women’s squad brightened Malaysia’s campaign by comfortably overcoming Hong Kong with a 2-0 victory.
Malaysia’s ace, S. Sivasangari, regained her winning form with a comeback victory over Ho Tze-lok, prevailing 10-12, 13-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8.
Rachel Arnold ensured Malaysia clinched the women’s team title by comfortably defeating Tong Tsz-wing 11-6, 11-5, 11-8.
This marks the eleventh team title secured by Malaysia’s women’s squad in this tournament, last claimed in 2021 in Kuala Lumpur.
“Sangari had a good comeback. It was an up-and-down game for her today, especially when she played too relaxed. In the last game, she was down 7-2 but after that she played very well with good intensity,” said Shahril.
“It was a straightforward match from Rachel. We didn’t expect Tsz-wing not to play well today. Maybe the pressure of needing to win affected her focus on the game. Rachel, on the other hand, played very well. Of course, since we were already up 1-0, she was very focused.” – June 16, 2024