Eain Yow has what it takes to go the distance with El-Shorbagy

Malaysian Ng Eain Yow in action.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s top men’s squash player Ng Eain Yow will need endurance and resilience to overcome world No. 2 and top seed Mohamed El-Shorbagy in their Egyptian Open quarter-final clash at the Giza Sporting Club in Cairo today.

And going by his impressive run so far, the 23-year-old Eain Yow seems well-equipped to give the Egyptian a run for his money.

El-Shorbagy is the favourite to win the title after showing his prowess by beating compatriot Karim El Hammamy 11-8, 11-4, 11-9 in the third round.

Eain Yow booked his last-eight ticket by edging Colombian veteran and world No. 11 Miguel Rodriguez 5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10 in an 82-minute third-round match. In the second round, he had shocked world No. 9 Mostafa Asal of Egypt 11-8, 11-5, 11-8.

“It will be tough against El-Shorbagy in the quarter-final, but I will just focus on myself. If I’m playing at my best, I believe I can beat anyone,” said Eain Yow.

Eain Yow, who turned pro in 2014, won’t be short of motivation after breaking into the top 20 of the world rankings.

He is only the third Malaysian male player to reach the top 20 after Ong Beng Hee and Mohd Azlan Iskandar.

“It feels good for sure to be in the top 20, but I still have a long way to go to get to number one. So I’ll keep working hard to get there.”