Three Indians in Asian Squash finals

Kish Island (Iran), June 22 (IANS): Unseeded Dev Vazirani saved two match points to defeat higher ranked Nga Ching Cheng (Hong Kong) 3-2 to enter the boys Under-13 final in the 19th Asian Junior Squash Championships here Thursday.

Also entering the final in their respective categories were defending champion Anaka Alankamony (Girls Under-19) and Kush Kumar (Boys Under-17).

Alankamony played with supreme confidence to defeat Ka Hei Chu from Hong Kong 3-0 to line up to become the first Indian to win back-to-back Asian titles.

Kush Kumar scored an equally facile 3-0 win against Cheuk Hin Cris Lo (Hong Kong) to set up a title clash with Malaysia’s Gursharan Singh Saturday after Friday’s rest day.

Meanwhile, Mahesh Mangaonkar (Boys U19) and Ashita Bhengra (Girls U13) lost in marathon semi-final matches lasting over an hour.

Mahesh clawed his way back from 1-2 but was unable to clinch the fifth game while Ashita squandered a 2-1 lead and lost in five games.

The results (semi-finals, Indian matches):

Girls – U13: Ashita Bhengra lost to Nur AliahAnis Mohammad (MAS) 2-3; Nikita Joshi lost to Nga Ching Cheng (HKG) 0-3, U15: Harshit Jawanda lost to Zoe Yuk Han Foo (MAS) 1-3, U19: Anaka Alankamony (IND) bt KaHei Chu (HKG) 3-0.

Boys – U13: Dev Vazirani bt Tin Lok Lau (HKG) 3-2, U15: Robin Mann (IND) lost to Eain Yow Ng (MAS) 0-3, U17: Kush Kumar bt Cheuk Hin Cris Lo (HKG) 3-0. Vijay Meena Kumar lost to Gurshan Singh (MAS) 0-3, U19: Mahesh Mangaonkar lost to Syed Ali Bukhari (Pak) 2-3.