Squash: Singapore’s Ong Zhe Sim overcomes 10 deg C conditions to win Scottish Junior Open U-15 title

SINGAPORE – It was her first time competing at temperatures below 10 deg C, but national junior squash player Ong Zhe Sim remained unfazed to win the Scottish Junior Open girls’ Under-15 category on Friday.

The 14-year-old had received a rude shock when she arrived at the Edinburgh Sports Club for the final, as it was colder than she had expected. But she focused on her warmup and relied on constant movement and heat packs to keep herself warm.

She also made sure to get her basic shots right and timed her attacks well to beat Malaysia’s Keertty Haridharan 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 to win her first European title after overcoming Australia’s Maitra Sarbani 11-7, 16-14, 11-6 in the semi-finals. All three were seeded joint fifth.

In the earlier rounds, she beat England’s unseeded Rosa Gray (11-2, 11-4, 11-4) and clinched an 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 win over Scotland’s joint third seed Ella Bannister, who is ranked 34th on the European Squash Federation’s rankings, 43 rungs above Zhe Sim.

The Methodist Girls’ School student said: “I was very happy and satisfied by my win, but there’s a lot more to do and I hope I’ll do better in the upcoming British Junior Open.

“I was quite nervous before this because the Europeans are stronger than us. But I just did my best to find out what works for me so I can calm down to find a way to win.”

She also credited acting head coach Gurshan Singh’s advice for her title, saying: “He helped me a lot. He told me to just play my own game and to play smart so I don’t have to tire myself out by running too much.”

The win is a confidence boost ahead of the Jan 4-8 British Junior Open in Birmingham, where the joint ninth seed anticipates tougher competition as her category will have 64 players, up from just 13 in Scotland.

Zhe Sim, who is the Singapore Squash Rackets Association’s junior girls’ player of the year, said: “Winning the Scottish Open was a surprise but the draw was quite small. The British Open will be a lot bigger and I’m aiming to get into at least the semi-finals.

“Of course, I want to reach the final if I can. But I want to work on my fitness before the competition and learn to adapt to my opponents faster.”

Her parents watched her match via live streaming and congratulated her after the win.

Singh, 27, praised Zhe Sim for her effort in training and her performance, saying the win will make her more motivated for upcoming events including the Asian Junior Team Championships in February.

The Malaysian added: “She’s been progressing really well in terms of her basic game and fitness. She’s getting more aggressive and improving on the tactical side of things. There’s more work to be done but this is a good start.

“She’s very hard-working and has potential to do well. There’s lots more for her to learn, but if she keeps putting in the work and stays dedicated, I’m sure she’s someone who will go far.”