KUALA LUMPUR: Men's national No 1 Ng Eain Yow capped a splendid week after putting up a dominant performance to clinch the Irish Open squash championships title.
The world No 21 lived up to his top seed billing as he overcame world No 30 Aly Abou Eleinen of Egypt 11-2, 12-10, 11-3 in the final on Saturday.
Competing in his first final since winning the Cleveland Skating Club Open in October last year, Eain Yow was in an inspired mood as he got off to a flying start, taking the first game 11-2 swiftly.
Aly, who is seeded fourth, was not to be underestimated as he put up a strong challenge in the second, leading 9-5 at one point.
But the Bristol-based Eain Yow, however, dug in and showed how much his game has progressed as he eventually turned the game around to take a 2-0 lead.
That proved to be the turning point, and it was smooth sailing for Eain Yow as he eventually wrapped up the win in 29 minutes.
The win is his sixth Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour title, and it is certainly a huge tonic after a surprise first round exit at the British Open last week.
"Eain Yow was solid and had a good game plan," said national assistant head coach Andrew Cross.
"He started very well, and he made it hard for Aly to win rallies in the first.
"In the second, he lost his length a little, but he still played positively, and Aly will be wondering how he lost that from 9-5 up.
"That was definitely the turning point of the match. It shows how well he's played this week after beating everyone 3-0.
"It helped a little that Aly also had a very tough semi-final match. Overall, Eain Yow was just consistent throughout, and I'm happy that it came together for him."
In the women's event, rising star Aira Azman just fell short on winning her third PSA title after going down 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 to top seed Jasmine Hutton of England.
The 18-year-old, who has been in sensational form recently, started brilliantly and claimed the first game 11-8.
World No 28 Hutton, however, turned on the heat as she eventually overwhelmed Aira to take the win after 39 minutes.
Despite the loss, Cross remained pleased with Aira's performance.
"There's definitely positives for Aira even though she didn't win," said Cross.
"She played really well this week and had several tough matches prior to the final.
"And yet she made Jasmine work hard for every point, and she didn't give up easily," added Cross.
