Mission accomplished: The triumphant Pakistan boys team.
| Photo Credit: K. Keerthivasan
Top seed Pakistan outplayed India 2-0 in the boys final of the HCL-21st Asian junior team squash championships here on Sunday. This was Pakistan’s 15th title.
In the first tie, Noor Zaman worked his wrist like magic and outsmarted Krishna Mishra 12-10, 9-11, 13-11, 11-9 with a host of drops from the frontcourt, midcourt and backcourt.
In the opening game, Zaman won points at will and raced to an 8-3 lead. However, Krishna fought back with relentless retrieving and some fine winners, before losing the way. The Indian, however, took a different path in the second game as he pushed Zaman to the backcourt, making him earn his points.
From the third, Zaman continued to deceive Krishna with delicate drops from all angles, making it a one-way affair.
In another contest, a steady and consistent Hamza Khan gave no chance to Paarth Ambani, making the Indian run from front to back. Hamza won in straight games.
10th crown
In the girls’ section, Malaysia, the top seed, clinched its 10th title and fourth in a row, defeating Hong Kong 2-0.
The results (finals):
Boys: Pakistan bt India 2-0 (Noor Zaman bt Krishna Mishra 12-10, 9-11, 13-11, 11-9; Muhammad Hamza Khan bt Paarth Ambani 11-7, 11-5, 11-4). Bronze: Malaysia & Korea.
Girls: Malaysia bt Hong Kong 2-0 (Aira Binti Azman bt Wai Sze Wing 11-2, 11-9, 11-5; Yasshmita Jadishkumar bt Tse Yee Lam Toby 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7). Bronze: Japan & India.