2 days ago
Ipoh-born squash prodigy Jinoreeka Ning bags third Hong Kong Junior Open title, eyes British Junior Open next
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Ipoh-born junior squash star Jinoreeka Ning Manivannan won her third Hong Kong Junior Open title yesterday, earning herself a sweet birthday gift as she turns 15 on August 21.
This time, she wrested the girls' Under-17 title from Hong Kong's top seed Elaine Chung Yee Ling after a tightly-fought match 11-8, 6-11, 11-2, 8-11, 12-10.
The Form Three student at Ipoh's Methodist Girls' School won the title for the first time in 2022 (Under-13) and again last year (Under-15).
Jinoreeka managed to pull the feat for the third time on Sunday despite having a high fever for the last three days, her father Manivannan Ramasamy said.
As she has no formal coach in Malaysia, Jinoreeka sticks to a training programme designed by Egypt's squash legend Omar Abdel Aziz, following in the footsteps of her squash idol — World No. 3 Hania El Hammamy.
Since 2023, Jinoreeka has trained in person with Omar in Cairo only eight times, with each trip costing around RM30,000.
She also follows Omar's fitness training sessions, held online four times a week. On weekends, her parents drive down to The Lakeview Club in Subang Jaya for her sparring sessions with other local squash talents.
Jinoreeka has been on a winning streak this year, after clinching the Under-15 title at the Asian Junior Championships in South Korea and the Under-17 title at the Penang Junior Open last month.
She has set her sights on the 2026 British Junior Open title next and hopes to make her dream debut of representing Malaysia in the 2027 World Junior Squash Championships.
