The 17-year-old player is currently on hot streak after winning the Sri Lanka Junior Open in February before capturing the PSA Tournament in Tashknet, Uzbekistan a month later.
NATIONAL squash prodigy Erwin Kros is preparing for tight schedule as he pursues his personal goal of reaching the top of the Asian U-19 squash rankings.
In an exclusive interview with theSun, the 17-year-old shares his preparation for the upcoming tournaments, starting with the 2026 Southeast Asian Junior Individual Championships in Manila, Philippines, starting on June 10.
“I won the tournament on 2024 and I am looking forward to defend my title there. I’ve been training very hard over the past few months and studying the players I may face there,“ he said.
“I will be playing two events, one is professional squash and the other is the Southeast Asian Junior tournament. So, it is going to be tough, but I will try my best to bring two titles home.”
At the 2024 Southeast Asian Junior Individual Championships in Bangkok, Erwin captured the U-17 crown after defeating fellow Malaysian Nabil Iman Shahrizan Azrol 11-6, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8 in the final.
The triumph ignited the youngster’s passion on the court as he is currently on hot streak after winning the Sri Lanka Junior Open in February before capturing the PSA Tournament in Tashknet, Uzbekistan a month later.
His impressive performances have propelled him to No. 11 in the Asian U-19 rankings despite taking a six-month break from competition to focus on his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
Apart from improving his technical skills, Erwin also prepares for the tournament by watching his potential opponent’s previous match to learn their playing style.
“I work on my mental and physical side. I have to keep thinking positively during games,” he said.
Following the Southeast Asian Junior Championships, Erwin is scheduled to compete in the Penang Junior Open from June 30 to July 5 before heading to Shandong for the China Junior Squash Open.
The 1.85m-tall athlete will then feature in the Hong Kong Junior Open in early August before representing Selangor at the 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma).
The tight schedule however does not give additional pressure for Erwin as his love for squash makes every sacrifice worthwhile.
“It’s not a big issue for me because I enjoy keeping myself busy,“ he said. “I’m willing to sacrifice my time to pursue my goals, so I don’t think the schedule will have a huge impact on me.
“I’m also looking forward to Sukma. It would be a great honour, and I’d be very proud if I could help deliver a gold medal for Selangor.”
The squash event at Sukma 2026 will be held at MBPJ Astaka Sports Complex, Petaling Jaya from Aug 16-26 with four categories set to be contested.
Erwin previously represented Selangor at the 2024 Sukma, competing in the men’s doubles event. Together with partner Harold Rynesh Aloysius, he narrowly missed out on a medal after losing to Melaka’s Veroon Heng and Andrik Lim in the bronze-medal match.
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