Joachim digs deep to clinch his first PSA title of the year

PETALING JAYA: National squash player Joachim Chuah had to dig deep to find his rhythm on court, but it paid off after he lived up to his top seed billing at the PSA Challenger in Chennai, India.

The 21-year-old and world No. 109 Joachim defeated Egypt’s Adham Rosdy 12-10, 11-7, 11-8 on Wednesday to clinch his first PSA title of the year.

Joachim admitted he had slight trouble in finding his footing on court, but kept his head and relied on his training to give him the edge.

“The tournament went well for me, although I wasn’t feeling the court the entire week, so I just had to rely on other things that I’ve worked on in the past few months,” said Joachim. “Overall, I’m super happy with the result.”

The win was Joachim’s fifth PSA title, with his most recent wins being back-to-back triumphs at the Kelowna Open and the Georgia Open at the end of last year.

Joachim entered the final after taking down compatriot Syafiq Kamal 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 in the semi-finals.

Syafiq had recently tasted success in India as well after he won the Mumbai Challenger title earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Joachim also gave a shout-out to Trinity College mate and good friend Low Wa Sern, who supported him despite seeing his run in Chennai end in the quarter-finals.

Wa Sern bowed out after fourth seed Canadian Salah Eltorgman won their five-game thriller 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-1, 11-4.

“I want to thank Wa Sern for being in my corner all week and everyone’s support from home,” said Joachim.