PETALING JAYA: C. Ameeshenraj turned hero for the Malaysian men’s squash team when he delivered the winning point as they edged defending champions India 2-1 to reach the final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday (Oct 1).
Ameeshenraj held his nerves in the crucial tie against Velavan Senthilkumar, winning 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 in 22 minutes at the Kinjo Futo Arena to seal the country's first final spot since 2018, where they were the champions.
Ameeshenraj said he had always believed he could shoulder the responsibility for the team despite facing pressure in the deciding match.
"I always believed that I could do it today. It wasn't easy, I had to take it one point at a time and had to be very patient," said Ameeshenraj to Bernama.
"Deciding matches are one of the most exciting matches for me.
"I always looked forward to it... I really wanted to do well today, and I think I did, I did my team proud."
"They had everything to lose, we had everything to gain. We had nothing to lose," added Ameenhenraj on how he deflected the pressure.
National No. 1 Ng Eain Yow had given Malaysia the lead after beating Abhay Singh 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 in 27 minutes in the first match.
In the second match, Sanjay Jeeva faced a tough challenge as he fell 4-11, 8-11, 5-11 to Veer Chotrani, forcing the final tie between Ameeshenraj and Velavan to be the decider.
Malaysia will take on Pakistan in the final, a repeat of their 2010 final where Malaysia settled for silver.
Meanwhile, in the women's team action, Malaysia will defend their title against Hong Kong in a repeat of last edition's final.
The women’s squad, led by S. Sivasangari, had a slow start but eventually got the job done to beat hosts Japan 2-0.
World No. 5 Sivasangari overcame world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in a gruelling five-setter, winning 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-3 after 39 minutes.
Aifa Azman then delivered the winning point by beating Akari Midorikawa 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 in 22 minutes.
