Latest news with #AsianJuniorSquashChampionships
New Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Coachless Jinoreeka defies odds, wins Asian Junior Squash crown
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Jinoreeka Ning pulled off a remarkable feat at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in South Korea by winning her second continental title without a coach in her corner. The second seed stormed to the girls' Under-15 crown on Saturday, beating India's unseeded Saanvi Kalanki 11-4, 11-6, 12-10 in Gimcheon. It marks her second Asian Junior triumph, following her Under-13 win in Dalian two years ago — both achieved without formal coaching support at home. "I'm happy to win in straight games, especially in my first meeting against Saanvi," said Jinoreeka, a Form Three student at Methodist Girls School in Ipoh. With no squash coach currently based in Perak, Jinoreeka trains by following a programme designed by Egypt's Omar Aiz. Her father, R. Manivannan, revealed the family spent RM30,000 for a two-week training stint in Cairo in January. "She worked with Omar in Cairo, and since then, she's been following his programme on her own," said Manivannan. "We hope this win will inspire my daughter to achieve greater heights in the sport." Jinoreeka will now compete in the Under-17 category at next week's Penang Junior Open. Meanwhile, Low Wa Sern capped off his junior career in style by claiming the boys' Under-19 title. The second seed, based at Trinity College in Connecticut, outlasted top seed and home favourite Na Jooyoung 11-8, 11-6, 4-11, 13-15, 11-5 — repeating his 2023 Under-17 final win over the same opponent in Dalian. "This is a special win — my last as a junior," said Wa Sern. "All my hard work over the past eight months in the US has paid off. We were both physically drained in the decider, but I stayed focused and fought for every point." Wa Sern will now prepare for the World Junior Championships in Cairo from July 21-26. However, it wasn't all good news for Malaysia. Top seed M. Nickhileswar failed to retain his boys' Under-17 title, going down 11-5, 11-8, 11-3 to India's third seed Aryaveer Dewan in a one-sided final. In the girls' Under-17 category, second seed Harleein Tan was denied by top seed Helen Tang of Hong Kong, losing 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 in a tightly contested four-game final.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Nickhileswar and three others vie for Asian Junior squash titles
KUALA LUMPUR: M. Nickhileswar and three other Malaysians will be bidding for glory in their respective categories at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in South Korea on Saturday. Top seed Nickhileswar marched into the boys' Under-17 final with a commanding 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 win over Japan's third seed Shu Takahashi at the Gimcheon Squash Centre on Friday. He will face India's Aryaveer Dewan in the title match. Aryaveer stunned Malaysia's second seed Aqil Mirza Naim Khairil Fariz 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 in the other semi-final. Nickhileswar's run is all the more impressive given he has been managing a right ankle injury throughout the tournament. "There was discomfort in the first two rounds, but I'm feeling much better now thanks to the physio," Nickhileswar told Timesport on Friday. "It'll be my first meeting against Aryaveer. I know people expect me to win, but I won't put pressure on myself. My goal is to retain my Under-17 crown after winning it in Islamabad last year." Nickhileswar also lifted the Under-15 title in Pattaya in 2022. Meanwhile, second seed Low Wa Sern produced a dominant display to beat Japan's Renshi Makino 11-2, 11-6, 11-3 in the boys' Under-19 semi-finals. He will face home favourite and top seed Na Jooyoung in the final. Jooyoung, the World Junior Championship runner-up in Houston last year, fought back to beat Pakistan's Abdullah Nawaz 7-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-4 in the other semi-final. In the girls' Under-17, second seed Harleein Tan overcame India's Anika Dubey 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7 to reach the final. Harleein, last year's Under-15 champion, will face top seed Helen Tang of Hong Kong. In the girls' Under-15 event, Jinoreeka Ning defeated compatriot Siti Syaurah Sufian 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 in the semi-finals and will take on India's Saanvi Kalanki for the title. In the girls' Under-19, third seed Whitney Isabelle Wilson settled for bronze after falling 14-12, 11-7, 11-6 to India's top seed Anahat Singh in the semi-finals. There was disappointment in the girls' Under-13 as top seed Maisarah Khairul Nizam was knocked out 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 by Pakistan's third seed Mahnoor Ali in the semi-finals.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Whitney and seven others reach Asian Junior Squash semi-finals
KUALA LUMPUR: Whitney Isabelle Wilson and seven other Malaysians stormed into the semi-finals of their respective categories at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in South Korea on Thursday. The 17-year-old, seeded third, overcame compatriot and fifth seed Najwa Zara 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 in the girls' Under-19 quarter-finals at the Gimcheon Squash Centre. Whitney will now face top seed Anahat Singh of India on Friday for a place in the final. Anahat, who captured the British Junior Open Under-17 title in January, made light work of Malaysia's Doyce Lee, winning 11-6, 11-3, 11-3 in the quarters. Whitney admitted that beating the in-form Indian would be a tall order. "However, I'll do my best to turn the tables on her. I really want to reach the final this year after settling for bronze at the last three editions," she said. Compatriot Anrie Goh, seeded fifth, put up a brave fight but fell 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4 to third seed Ena Kwong of Hong Kong in the other girls' Under-19 quarter-final. In the girls' Under-17, second seed Harleein Tan booked her spot in the last four with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 win over compatriot T. Dakshayni. She will take on third seed Chung Yee Ling of Hong Kong next. The girls' Under-15 also saw two Malaysians advance. Second seed Jinoreeka Ning breezed past India's Aadya Budhia 11-6, 11-2, 11-2 to set up a semi-final clash with compatriot Siti Syaurah Sufian, who beat Pakistan's Sehrish Ali 11-4, 11-7, 11-2. Top seed Maisarah Khairul Nizam progressed to the girls' Under-13 semi-finals with an 11-2, 11-9, 11-8 win over India's Divyanshi Jain. She next faces Pakistan's third seed Mahnoor Ali. In the boys' Under-19, second seed Low Wa Sern stormed into the semi-finals with an 11-3, 12-10, 11-5 victory over South Korea's Lee Jonghyeok. He will meet Japan's Renshi Makino next. Meanwhile, top seed M. Nickhileswar defeated India's Subash Choudhary 11-9, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 in the boys' Under-17 and will face third seed Shu Takahashi of Japan in the last four. Second seed Aqil Mirza Naim Khairil Fariz also kept Malaysian hopes alive in the same category, downing India's Shiven Agarwal 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-1. He next face India'third seed Aryaveer Dewan.
