KUALA LUMPUR: Three up-and-coming Malaysians made the nation proud by winning titles at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday.
Harleein Tan, U. Thanussa, and M. Nickhileswar delivered victories in their respective categories, while compatriots Raziq Putra Fakhrur Razi and Harith Danial Jefri came up short in their events.
Harleein got the ball rolling by securing the first title for Malaysia when the top seed defeated Hong Kong's second seed, Lo Pui Chloe, 11-8, 11-4, 11-6, in the girls' Under-15 final, ending her campaign without dropping a game in the tournament.
"The title means a lot because there are only a few tournaments where we go as a team and bond well with all the best juniors in Asia.
"It is a great moment to win gold for Malaysia. I want to continue making Malaysia proud," said Harleein, who won the Asian Junior Under-13 title in Thailand in 2022.
Top seed U. Thanussa won Malaysia's second crown by overcoming third seed Akari Midorikawa of Japan 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 in the girls' Under-19 final.
Second seed M. Nickhileswar came back from the brink of defeat to upset top seed Abdullah Nawaz of Pakistan 9-11, 9-11, 11-10, 11-8, 11-6 in the boys' Under-17 final. The Penang-born won the Under-15 title in 2022.
In the boys' Under-15 final, Raziq Putra failed to justify his top seeding, losing 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 13-11 to second seed Shiven Agarwal of India.
Pakistan's world junior champion Hamza Khan defeated third seed Harith Danial 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 in the boys' Under-19 final.
Results (All Finals)
* Malaysian unless stated
Boys' Under-19: Hamza Khan (Pak) bt Harith Danial Jefri 11-5, 12-10, 11-9.
Under-17: M. Nickhileswar bt Abdullah Nawaz (Pak) 9-11, 9-11, 11-10, 11-8, 11-6.
Under-15: Shiven Agarwal (Ind) bt Raziq Putra Fakhrur Razi 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 13-11.
Under-13: Sohail Adnan (Pak) bt Huzaifa Shahid (Pak) 12-10, 12-10, 5-11, 4-11, 11-8.
Girls' Under-19: U. Thanussa bt Akari Midorikawa (Jpn) 11-8, 11-7, 11-2.
Under-17: Ena Kwong (Hkg) bt Helen Tang (Hkg) 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-1.
Under-15: Harleein Tan bt Lo Pui Chloe (Hkg) 11-8, 11-4, 11-6.
Under-13: Aadya Budhia (Ind) bt M. Goushika (Ind) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
