Ng Eain Yow (second from left) led Malaysia to the men's team title at the Asian Team Championships in Dalian on June 16. With him are Syafiq Kamal (left). Addeen Idrakie (third from left) and C. Ameeshenraj (right).
PETALING JAYA: World No. 13 Ng Eain Yow, despite undergoing a hectic schedule that included the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, is happy to have achieved his goal of reaching the top 15 and also winning a bronze level tournament in the 2023-2024 season.
“I feel quite proud with the way I have finished my season (2023-2024),” said Eain Yow, who returned to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning with his teammates after helping Malaysia reclaim the men’s gold at the Asian Team Championships in Dalian.
“I won my first bronze level event, reached the last eight at the British Open and broke into the top 15 in the world rankings.
“I am at the world No. 13 now and it shows that I’m staying on track to achieve my objective of making it to the top 10 next season.
“I was quite tired coming straight from the British Open to Dalian but at the end, it was worth it as the team did an amazing job," said Eain Yow, who received the Datuk Alex Lee award for the best male player from the Asian Squash Federation on Sunday.
Malaysia reclaimed the team title last won in 2021 (Kuala Lumpur) beating Hong Kong 2-1 in the final where Eain Yow led the squad comprising Addeen Idrakie, Syafiq Kamal and rising star C. Ameeshenraj on Sunday (June 16).
“It’s not just the men and but the women’s team also did a great job this whole week and we hope to continue our efforts in the new season.”
Meanwhile, women’s team member Rachel Arnold said the presence of world No. 10 S. Sivasangari took the pressure away from the team as they outplayed stiff rivals Hong Kong 2-0 in the final to wrest the title they lost in South Korea two years ago.
The others in the team were Azman sisters Aifa and Aira
“Obviously, we had some pressure in the 2022 Asian Teams but we were stronger this time with Sangari in the team. It made us a bit more comfortable in Dalian,” said Rachel.
Sivasangari did not return to Kuala Lumpur with her teammates but flew back straight from China to New York to resume her training under her Australian coach David Palmer.
