CHENNAI: The disparity on show was gnawing as minnows caved in sans whimper while the Asian top brass blitzed past their opponents in the team championships of the 14th Asian Junior Championship at the ICL Squash complex on Tuesday.
Such was the one-sidedness that the word farce did its fair round.
Predictably, India snatched both their matches without losing a game in the girls’ segment. None but Anwesha Reddy was tested, as Japan’s Mayu Yamazaki stretched her to five games. The first two games were so closely tugged that both were decided in tiebreakers. While Yamazaki, with fast legs, claimed the first 15-13, Anwesha, whose movements were lethargic, pouched the second 12-10.
Conversely, the remaining three games failed to provide the same spark as Anwesha clinched the third and fourth to save India the blushes.
However, she seemed composed in her second match of the day, against Sri Lanka’s Randima Ranaweera, which she wrapped off in 15 minutes.
Both Anaka Alankamony and Saumya Karki, however, had no jitters in walloping the Sri Lankans.
Thereby, India has full points from their two matches and would wrestle with Hong Kong, whom they meet on Wednesday, for the pole. Hong Kong, meanwhile, blanked Japan 3-0.
The Hong Kong-India match would decide the group winners, an upset to minnows notwithstanding, in the boys’ section as well. India would nurse a realistic chance, as only Leo Au seems indomitable.
Though Hong Kong humbled Japan 3-0, Nelson Chan and Kit Lun Choy would be tested against Karan Malik and Ravi Dixit. India also had a cakewalk against Chinese Taipei.
Top seeds Malaysia, too, garnered full points in both segments. However, Low Wee Nee seemed gone for broke when her Korean counterpart buckled the first two games.
But with no perceptible signs of nerves she riposted to account for the remaining three games and the match.
That said, the Korean was totally spiritless as the match unfurled. Junior individual champion Low Wee Wern was also protracted in her second game against Ji-Hyun Lee.
Otherwise, she was totally dominant and showed no fatigue in playing two matches a day after a fivegame humdinger against Dipika Pallikal, who warmed the bench in both matches.
Results: Boys (Pool A): Malaysia bt China 3-0 (Kamran Khan bt Meng Xiowmin 11-6, 11-6,12-10, Ng Jo Wen bt Sheng Jiagi 11-5, 11-5, 11-3, Muhd Zulazri bt Li Zhiyuan 11-1, 11-5, 11-4.)
Korea bt Qatar 3-0 (Seung-Woo Jin bt Ahmed Al-Tamimi 11-6, 11-7, 11-5; Won-Suk Choi bt Abdullah Al-Tamimi 11-9, 11-7, 12- 14, 11-9; Seung-Cheul Han bt Omar A Ahmad 11-1, 11-5, 11-7.
Malaysia bt Iran 3-0 (Kamran Khan bt Kashani 11-7, 11-6, 11-3; Ng Jo Wen bt Navid 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4; Muhd Zulazri bt Soheil (Iran) 11-4, 11-4, 11-3.