Ruthiran siblings savour double glory at home Junior Open

Family triumph: (from left) Addeen Idrakie, R. Meera, R. Vidhurran and Aika Azman pose for a picture after the prize ceremony.

PETALING JAYA: It was a special win for the Ruthiran family on home ground after rising squash siblings R. Vidhurran and R. Meera both clinched their respective age group titles at the Penang Junior Open.

Fourteen-year-old Vidhurran maintained his winning form after defeating Wayne Isaac Wilson 11-3, 11-6, 13-11 to win the Under-15 title at the Nicol David International Squash Centre earlier this month.

The victory marked Vidhurran’s third win this year after he also emerged victorious at the SRAFTKL International Junior Open in April and the Lion City Junior Open in Singapore last month.

Meanwhile, younger sister Meera, 10, won her maiden championship title on the international junior circuit in front of a home crowd after she beat B. Kavilaasri 13-11, 14-12, 11-9 to top the girls’ Under-11 category.

Her outing at the Lion City Junior Open saw her finish second, which came after another second-place finish at the Negri Sembilan International Junior Open in April.

Ranked No. 1 in both Malaysia and Asia in the Under-15 category, Vidhurran hopes to stay consistent for his next tournaments.

“I’m happy with the win, but I want to string together good performances at every tournament,” said Vidhurran.

“I still have work to do and more tournaments coming up. I want to train hard, keep improving, and be better prepared for each tournament.”

As for Meera, she said: ‘’I’m so happy because this is my first title and it means a lot to win in Penang. I want to keep doing well and keep learning from my coaches.”

The young duo are coached by former players Addeen Idrakie and Aika Azman, who admitted that their win was made even more special as it came on home ground.

“It was a sweet win to see both of them lift the trophy on the same day.

“What makes us proud is not just the result but the way they keep showing up every time. That kind of consistency at their age is rare,” said Addeen.

“This double win is a motivation for them to keep putting in hard work and for us to keep pushing them. It’s a long road ahead, and they’re ready for it,” said Aika.