KUALA LUMPUR, The Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) wants the current national top men’s player, Ng Eain Yow, to innovate and elevate his game to a new level after landing his maiden Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour title in German Open 2024, Sunday.
SRAM coaching director, Major (Rtd) S. Maniam said it is important for the world number 22 player to continue building on his performance in a bid to shine and achieve more success in the future.
‘Moving forward, I hope that Eain Yow will try to look at new ways of getting his game to another level, which I think he is continuously working on,’ he told Bernama when contacted today.
The fourth-seeded player rose to the occasion to see off sixth seed Dimitri Steinmann of Switzerland 12-10, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3 in a thrilling final that lasted 66 minutes to capture the PSA World Tour Bronze-tier title in Hamburg.
While delighted with Eain Yow’s historic victory in the finals, Maniam expressed his satisfaction with the 26-year-old’s rem
arkable performance in the semi-final, where he upset top-seed Joel Makin of Wales in a closely fought match, 13-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, last Saturday.
He also highlighted the significance of this victory, considering Eain Yow’s previous struggles against Makin, whom he had lost to in six consecutive matches.
‘The match against Makin had always been a nemesis to him. That guy (Makin) was that much fitter and stronger. When you look at that many times, you begin to wonder, will Eain Yow ever beat him.
‘However, Eain Yow is a fighter and he always believes he can do better every time he plays, so that kind of mental attitude is the one that made the difference. It was a tough match. It wasn’t easy by any means. But it was a great, great win,’ he said.
The Kuala Lumpur-born player is slated to compete in the El Gouna International Squash Open 2024 in Egypt, which kicks off from April 19-26.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games men’s individual champion will open his Egypt’s meet campaign against world number 48 of M
exico, Cesar Salazar.
Eain Yow’s feat in Hamburg undoubtedly added to the jubilation in Malaysian squash, following national women’s top player S. Sivasangari’s sensational win at the inaugural London Squash Classic 2024 just last week.
World number 13 Sivasangari delivered a stellar performance by defeating the world number two of Egypt, Hania El Hammamy, 11-9, 5-11, 13-11, 12-14, 11-8 in the final at Alexandra Palace, London.
Her phenomenal feat in the London Squash Classic marked Sivasangari as the first Malaysian player to clinch a Gold-level PSA World Tour title since national squash legend Datuk Nicol David’s victory at the 2015 Hong Kong Open.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency