Bronze
medal play-off: Mihiliya Methsarani (SRI) bt Sadia Gul (PAK) 11-8,
11-6, 11-9
RESULTS: Commonwealth Youth Games Squash Championships, Apia,
Samoa
Eain Yow Ng & Sivasangari Subramaniam Celebrate
Commonwealth Youth Games Gold
Eain Yow Ng
and Sivasangari Subramaniam fulfilled their seedings in the
Commonwealth Youth Games by claiming double gold for
Malaysia in Squash's debut in the fifth staging of the
Games in Samoa.
The pair (pictured above)
endorsed their status as favourites by winning the titles without
conceding any games over two days at the Tuana'imato Sports
Facility in Apia.
Ng, a 17-year-old from
Kuala Lumpur, overcame unseeded Indian Velavan Senthilkumar
in the semi-finals before getting the better of England's No.2 seed
Patrick Rooney 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 in the men's climax.
It was 18-year-old
Rooney's third successive straight games defeat by the Malaysian in
international junior competitions.
The women's final also
brought together the event's top two seeds. Subramaniam, from the
Malaysian state of Kedah, defeated New Zealander Eleanor Epke
11-3, 11-5, 12-10.
"I'm very happy
because winning a gold medal for the first time in the Commonwealth
is a great thing," said 16-year-old ranked
96 in the world.
India's Velavan Senthilkumar
took the men's bronze medal after his Pakistani opponent Israr
Ahmed was taken ill after the semi-finals - while Sri Lanka
struck bronze in the women's event when Mihiliya Methsarani
beat fellow non-seed Sadia Gul of Pakistan 11-8, 11-6, 11-
Seeds
Slip In Commonwealth Youth Games Clashes
While Eain Yow Ng
and Sivasangari Subramaniam are still on course to provide
double gold for Malaysia in Squash's debut in the
Commonwealth Youth Games, a trio of lower seeds failed to claim
their predicted places in the semi-finals of the fifth staging of
the Games in Samoa.
Ng, a 17-year-old from
Kuala Lumpur, brushed aside Scotland's Richard Hollins 11-3,
11-4, 11-5 in today's men's quarter-finals at the Tuana'imato
Sports Facility in Apia. In the women's event,
Subramaniam despatched Larissa Wiltshire, of Guyana, 11-4,
11-1, 11-4.
But both will meet
unexpected opponents as they compete for medals. Ng takes on
Velavan Senthilkumar after the unseeded Indian upset Luke
Jones, a 3/4 seed from New Zealand, 12-10, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Subramaniam lines up
against Mihiliya Methsarani following the unseeded
17-year-old from Sri Lanka's 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 shock defeat of
Mari Taylor, a 3/4 seed from England.
Pakistani Sadia Gul
also secured an unexpected place in the women's medal play-offs
after fighting back from a game down to beat India's 3/4 seed
Harshit Jawanda 7-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-9.
England's medal hopes lie
with Patrick Rooney, the No.2 seed who defeated Northern
Ireland's Stephen Hearst 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 and will now meet
Pakistan's 3/4 seed Israr Ahmed.
Eleanor Epke
carries New Zealand's sole medal bid after beating three-time
Pacific Games gold medallist Lynette Vai 9-11, 13-11,
11-4, 11-7 to set up a semi-final encounter with Sadia Gul.
Preview
Malaysia Set For Double Commonwealth Youth Games Gold
Malaysia is expected to strike double singles gold when Squash makes
its debut as one of the nine sports featured in the 5th Commonwealth
Youth Games this week in Samoa.
Players from 19 nations will compete in five events - men's and
women's singles, and men's, women's and mixed doubles - which will
take place at the Tuana'imato Sports Facility in Apia from 5-11
September.
Three-time British Junior Open champion Eain Yow Ng, 17, from Kuala
Lumpur is top seed in the men's singles championship - while
compatriot Sivasangari Subramaniam, a 16-year-old who won the
British Junior U15 Open title last year, is favourite to take gold
in the women's singles.
There are further gold predictions for Malaysia in the doubles
events where Marcus Wei Jie Sim & Mohd Farez Izwan are top seeds in
the men's championship, and Andrea Lee & Eain Yow Ng are favourites
for the mixed title - but it is the New Zealand pairing of Abbie
Palmer & Eleanor Epke which is seeded to take top honours in the
women's doubles event.