The Hindu : Sport / Squash : Low Wee Wern defeats Dipika to lift girls’ crown

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Sport - Squash

Low Wee Wern defeats Dipika to lift girls’ crown

Kunal Diwan

Ivan Yuen clinches boys’ title

— Photo: V. Ganesan

STRETCHING TO CONQUER: Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen overcame Hong Kong’s Leo Au to bag the boys’ title on Monday.

CHENNAI: Malaysian players swept the girls’ and boys’ categories at the Asian junior squash championship here on Monday. Top seed Low Wee Wern defeated an error-prone Dipika Pallikal to take the girls’ crown, while second seed Ivan Yuen beat Hong Kong’s Leo Au in four games to claim the boys’ title.

Dipika, for the most part, was let down by her own exuberance. By far the more attractive of the two players to watch, she squandered two match-balls at 10-8 in the decisive fifth game, after the first four games had been split.

The first game was a loosener of sorts. Dipika went overboard with her backhand drop shots and hit the tin repeatedly to hand Wern a flurry of points. The Malaysian took the first game without much fuss.

The second game saw a resurrection of the Indian’s shot-making skills. She punched at any short offering and deceived Wern a number of times by going crosscourt when a straight hit appeared to be the normal approach. A drop-dead backhand volley at 10-8 made it a game apiece.

Interesting phase

And then began the interesting part. Though they ran neck and neck for most of the match, the contrast between the two players was blatantly obvious even to the casual observer.

While Wern stayed true to her dogged, error-inducing approach, Dipika went for broke, going for impossible shots that were pleasing to watch when successful, but avoidable, low-percentage trite when they thudded into the tin.

The third game, was played almost shot for shot by both players. But at 9-9, Ms. Palikal ripped one from across the left court, finding, unfortunately, the top centimetre of the tin strip.

Wern, seizing the moment, came out of her defensive mould and let loose a whopper of a forehand that beat her rival at full stretch on the hind court. Third game to Wern 11-9.

Down 3-7 in the fourth, Dipika looked out for the count, before a series of stunning sidewall lickers found the Malaysian a step too slow. Fooled, yet again, by a deceptive cross, Wern handed the game to Dipika at 11-9.

The decider, as pointed out earlier, was a ‘who-blinks-first’ affair. Dipika cut out the flashiness from her game and stared at two match balls. But the Malaysian, hung in there and reeled off four straight points to take the trophy.

“Dipika played much better today than she did at the British Open (earlier this month). I just kept the ball in play and waited for her to commit the errors,” said Wern later.

Athleticism

Meanwhile, Ivan Yuen beat Leo Au in four games that functioned as the perfect display of lithe athleticism. Ivan deployed his forehand for pin-point placements, while Leo scurried and scampered for retrieval.

More was expected out of the contest after the players had split the first two games, but somehow Au’s play deteriorated just marginally thereafter, enough though, to give Ivan a look in. Au went down 8-11 in the third game after saving four gameballs, and then caved in to Ivan’s persistently diagonal approach for a 4-11 smacking in the fourth.

“This is my last Asian juniors, so I am happy to win,” said Ivan after his victory.

The team event begins on the morrow.

The results:

Finals: Boys: Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Leo Au (Hkg) 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4;