KUALA LUMPUR – National squash player Addeen Idrakie Bakhtiar clinched the final spot in the semi-finals of the Asian zone World Squash Championship qualifiers after a tough battle over compatriot Darren Rahul Pragasam in today’s quarter-finals.
The showdown at the National Squash Centre, Jalan Duta, saw second-seeded Addeen fiercely challenged by Darren in the men’s competition.
While Addeen was expected to seal the match earlier, Darren, ranked 127th in the world, put up a strong fight, pushing the game to a deciding set.
After a gruelling 74-minute battle, Addeen finally emerged victorious with a score of 14-12, 7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4.
“I should have wrapped up the match in the third set, but Rahul performed admirably today. My lapse was allowing him to close the gap when I was in the lead.
“As my fitness is much better than Rahul’s, I managed to stick to my game plan and secure the win,” said Addeen.
Addeen’s semi-final clash tomorrow will be against the tournament’s third seed, Tan Ming Hong from Hong Kong, who previously defeated Malaysian Syafiq Kamal with a score of 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9.
“He’s a good player, and it’s been a while since I last played against him. But I know my own condition, and what’s important right now is that I focus on recovery and do a bit of homework on his game to prepare for tomorrow’s match,” he added.
In another all-Malaysian encounter earlier, Bryan Tze overcame teammate Ong Sai Hung with a score of 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-6.
The 28-year-old Bryan faces a tough challenge tomorrow, as he goes up against tournament top seed Ryunosuke Tsukue from Japan. – April 19, 2024
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