KUALA LUMPUR: National junior squash player, Aira Azman stayed on course to defend her title of the Under 15 (U-15) girls category at the 2019 British Junior Open Squash Championships after cruising to the final of the tournament in Birmingham, England, on Saturday (Sunday in Malaysia).
Aira, the top seed in U-15 category, defeated joint fifth-eighth seed Torrie Malik of England, winning 12-10, 12-10 and 11-3 in the semi-final match held at University of Birmingham, according to the tournament website www.britishjunioropen.com.
She played the second seed, Salma El Tayeb in the final on Sunday (early Monday in Malaysia) after the Egyptian edged her fellow teammate, joint third-fourth seed Malaj Khafagy 9-11, 11-7, 11-5 and 11-8 in another semi-final showdown.
Four Malaysian players – Harith Danial Jefri, Whitney Wilson, Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Nickhileswar Moganasundharam – also booked their spot in the final in their respective categories after defeating their opponents.
World squash powerhouse, Egypt have guaranteed two titles in hand – Girls U-13 and U-19 – after four of their players booked their place in the final of both categories. – Bernama
