Yow confident of Asian Juniors title defence

PETALING JAYA: Teenage squash talent Ng Eain Yow is relishing the challenge of being the defending champion when he competes in the Asian Junior Championship in Kish Island, Iran on Monday.

The 16-year-old Eain Yow won the Under-17 title last year, beating several older boys including team-mate Mohd Syafiq Kamal.

This year, Eain Yow will take on rivals his age, who will be out to claim his scalp.

The two-time British Junior champion, who bagged the Malaysian Junior Open Under-19 title recently, is unperturbed because he feels that age is not a deterrent.

“I used to beat bigger and older boys, so I know what kind of pressure I’ll be facing,” explained Eain Yow.

“However I try not to think of my opponents as younger or below me because we all have about the same ability. There is no huge gap and I’ll be fully focused on the challenge.

“The plus point that I’ll have is that I’ve been in good form recently. I’ve been hitting well and I feel confident with my shots.

“I also had a go at the recent Tri Nation Squash Doubles together with Syafiq and it was a really good experience. 

“That will definitely help me in defending my Asian title.”

Eain Yow received a bye in the first round which started yesterday and will face India’s Ranjit Singh in the second round today.

He is expected to meet compatriot Mohd Farez Izwan in the semi-finals, with the winner earning a spot in the final against either second seed Mohammad Alsarraj of Jordan or Hong Kong’s Ling To Yu.

The other Malaysians in the fray are Syafiq (Under-19), Jesse Foo, Eugene Heng (Under-15) and Shawn Tai (Under-13). 

All of them received first round byes.