PETALING JAYA: National squash player C. Ameeshenraj came within one win of lighting up Deepavali with his first Professional Squash Association (PSA) title in nearly two years, but national coach Andrew Cross believes his wait will soon be over.
The 22-year-old’s hopes of a festive finish at the London Open ended with a 5-11, 7-11, 6-11 defeat to France’s Amir Khaled-Jousselin in Sunday’s final.
It denied the eighth-seeded Malaysian his first PSA crown since winning the India Open in December 2024. Yet Cross sees enough progress to believe another breakthrough is close.
“I think he will get a title soon. More importantly, though, it is great to see his level of play improve,” said Cross.
Despite the loss, there was plenty of fight shown by Ameeshenraj throughout the tournament at the Cumberland Club.
In the second round against Canada’s Salah Eltorgman, he needed lengthy treatment after hurting his elbow after a dive but returned to grind out an 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 2-11, 11-9 victory.
He then swept past Argentina’s fourth seed Leandro Romiglio 13-11, 11-7, 11-2 before beating Portugal’s Rui Soares 11-8, 12-10, 11-6 to reach the final.
The runner-up finish lifted him from world No. 98 to No. 85, leaving him just seven places shy of his career-best No. 78, achieved in September last year.
It also continued an encouraging spell for the Negri Sembilan player, who reached the Tuanku Muhriz Trophy semi-finals in August before helping Malaysia win the men’s team gold and partnering Rachel Arnold to mixed doubles bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
“He has started the season very strongly. He was amazing at the Asian Games too.
“I think this really shows the level that he can achieve.
“We had a really good summer of training, with eight male players pushing themselves every day, trying to be better than one another. It was a great atmosphere,” added Cross.
And although Ameeshenraj could not deliver the perfect festive conclusion in London, his response suggested he was ready to go again.
“Fell short in the finals here at the London Open $18k.
“Not the result we aimed for, but we keep going,” said Ameeshenraj in a social media post yesterday.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
