There were mixed fortunes for home players on the opening day of action in the 2019 CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Squash Championships at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
Adam Agan Bin Aziz, an 18-year-old from Malacca competing in his first major event, recovered from a horrible start - trailing 6-0 in the first game - to overcome Hong Kong's Lap Au 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
"It's my first world juniors and I was feeling very nervous and I made a lot of mistakes which gave my opponent a 6-0 lead to start," admitted Adam (pictured above in KL action).
"But after that I grew calmer and I managed to execute my game plan to apply more pressure on him.
"I'm pleased to get off to a fine winning start because I really wanted to do well in my first major competition.
"Now I need to ensure that I do not start nervously in the second round. I need to stay calm and play a thinking game with better shot selections if I hope to go further. Hopefully, luck is on my side too."
Adam's next opponent will be a tough one in joint fifth-eighth seed Yehia Elnawasany of Egypt.
There was revenge for Hong Kong in another match against the hosts when To Wai Lok saved a match-ball in the fifth to topple Darryl Gan (both pictured below, Gan in red shirt) 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8.
The local boy was leading 2/1 and was 10-9 up in the fourth but crumbled under pressure to allow Wai Lok to take the game 12-10 and force a decider.
17-year-old Lok duly went on to take the win after 65 minutes.
Other exciting men's matches included another Hong Kong matchup with Wong King Yeung fighting back from 2/1 down to beat Colombia's Nicolas Serna 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9.
Another five-setter saw South Korea's Kim Seok-jin come from two games down to beat Switzerland's Miguel Mathis 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 while Australia's Gregory Chan and New Zealand's Willz Donnelly both came through in five-game battles as well - Donnelly fighting back from 2/1 down to overcome Trans-Tasman rival Sam Sergo (both pictured below) 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9
There were also several gruelling matches in the women's event with one of the best matches seeing South African Taryn Emslie save a match ball against New Zealand's Sophie Hodges for a turnaround 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9 win in 34 minutes.
Australia's Erin Classen also came through in five, beating South Africa's Faith Panashe Sithole 11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8 to set up a second round clash with England's joint fifth-eighth seed Elise Lazarus.
In the longest girls' match of the day, Czech Republic's Tereza Siroka downed New Zealand's Natalie Sayes 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10 to set up a second round clash with Malaysia's Ainaa Ampandi.
RESULTS: CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Squash Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Men's 1st round:
Petr Nohel (CZE) bt Andres Villamizar (COL) 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10
Aaron Liang (SGP) bt Riley-Jack Vette-Blomquist (NZL) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6
To Wai Lok (HKG) bt Darryl Gan (MAS) 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8
Hamoud Aljenaidel (KUW) bt Tae Kyung Jung (KOR) 11-8, 11-4, 14-12
Tristen Worth (RSA) bt Fritiof Jacobsson (SWE) 10-12, 12-10, 13-11, 11-6
Campbell Wells (SUI) bt Dylan Molinaro (AUS) 11-7, 11-3, 11-8
Nicholas Spizzirri (USA) bt Nils Schwab (GER) 11-2, 11-7, 11-9
Hamza Khan (PAK) bt Sayeed Mavani (CAN) 11-5, 11-7, 14-12
Wong King Yeung (HKG) bt Nicolas Serna (COL) 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9
Leo Fatialofa (NZL) bt Leonard Lee (SGP) 12-10, 11-5, 11-4
Ethan Eyles (AUS) bt Pan Shao-Yu (TPE) 11-5, 11-2, 11-1
Jeong-Min Yu (KOR) bt Abdulaziz Jasem (KUW) 11-1, 11-5, 12-10
Pedro Paulo Pedroso (BRA) bt Manuel Gassmann (MAC) 11-4, 11-6, 11-5
Rafael Gálvez (PER) bt Ching-Hsuan Chu (TPE) 11-4, 11-3, 11-1
Naveed Rehman (PAK) bt Joshua Penfold (AUS) 11-6, 11-7, 11-4
Darosham Khan (CAN) bt Zacheus Yeo (SGP) 11-3, 11-2, 11-2
Ethan Tang (HKG) bt Glenn Templeton (NZL) 6-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-1
Mateo Restrepo (COL) bt Mohammad Karm (KUW) 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9
Abel Sheng Jin (AUS) bt Josiah Chong (SGP) 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
Kim Seokjin (KOR) bt Miguel Mathis (SUI) 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) bt Maaz Mufti (CAN) 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
Myles McIntyre (USA) bt Reece McLachlan (RSA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-4
Karim Farrag (CZE) bt Chen Wun-Lin (TPE) 11-4, 12-14, 11-4, 11-3
Hamza Sharif (PAK) bt Jan Wipperfürth (GER) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7
Bader Almoghrebi (KUW) bt Jerome Aw (SGP) 11-9, 13-11, 11-9
Gregory Chan (AUS) bt Kim Seung Hyeon (KOR) 6-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7
Noor Zaman (PAK) bt Matt Bicknell (CAN) 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5
Adam Agan Bin Aziz (MAS) bt Lap Au (HKG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8
Mohammad Ali (KUW) bt Raon Yi (KOR) 11-8, 11-3, 11-5
Ben Smith (ENG) bt Liang-Yu Huang (TPE) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4
Juan Jose Torres Lara (COL) bt Samuel Lavebrink (SWE) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7
Willz Donnelly (NZL) bt Sam Sergo (AUS) 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9
Rahul Baitha (IND) bt Ali Eshniaf Al Shammiry (KUW) 11-6, 11-2, 11-5
Minwoo Lee (KOR) bt Emilio Carrillo (CAN) 11-5, 19-17, 11-5
Women's 1st round:
Yuna Loaec (FRA) bt Hsiao Nai-Wen (TPE) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Ananya Dabke (IND) bt Ayumi Watanabe (JPN) 11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4
Brianna Jefferson (CAN) bt Monique Da Cruz (RSA) 14-12, 11-3, 11-8
Lucie Stefanoni (USA) bt Sze Yu Lee (AUS) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5
Lucie Mährle (GER) bt Kelly Byrne (IRL) 11-1, 11-6, 11-7
Shin Yu Jin (KOR) bt Paige Teresa Hill (SGP) 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
Cassandra Fitze (SUI) bt Alesya Aleshina (RUS) 11-2, 5-11, 5-11, 13-11, 12-10
Malin Frank (SWE) bt Megan Evans (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
Molly Chadwick (CAN) bt Heylie Fung (HKG) 6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5
Mahe Asensi (FRA) bt Leng Lam Leong (MAC) 11-2, 11-4, 11-5
Amalia Rios (COL) bt Alouise Campher (RSA) w/o
Nathalie Malmstrom (SWE) bt Kurstyn Mather (AUS) 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 1-11, 11-8
Lucia Bicknell (CAN) bt Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
Tereza Siroka (CZE) bt Natalie Sayes (NZL) 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10
Sonya Bajaj (IND) bt Alina Poessl (SUI) 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8
Emma McGugan (IRL) bt Wang Yuan (TPE) 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
Erica McGillicuddy (CAN) bt Rafu Takahashi (JPN) 11-1, 11-8, 11-1
Lea Barbeau (FRA) bt Emma Lundy (IRL) 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
Wei Ting Lim (SGP) bt Chen Pin Yu (TPE) 11-6, 11-3, 11-2
Erin Classen (AUS) bt Faith Panashe Sithole (RSA) 11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8
Gigi Yeung (MAC) bt Sara Månberg (SWE) 13-11, 7-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-7
Wong Po Yui Kirstie (HKG) bt Alexandra Kotkolik (GER) 11-9, 11-6, 11-1
Amira Singh (IND) bt Simona Frevel (SUI) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5
Madeleine Hylland (NOR) bt Ella Lash (NZL) 11-3, 11-6, 11-9
Helena Coetzee (RSA) bt Sarah Cao (CAN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-7
Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) bt Katie Davies (AUS) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7
Kurumi Takahashi (JPN) bt Wu Yi-Chen (TPE) 11-4, 10-12, 11-1, 11-2
Serena Daniel (USA) bt Anna Kaiding (SWE) 11-2, 11-2, 11-4
Katie Wells (ENG) bt Alessia Osborne (IRL) 11-6, 11-5, 11-1
Chae Won Song (KOR) bt Georgia Robcke (NZL) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4
Caroline Spahr (USA) bt Megha Bhatia (IND) 11-3, 11-9, 11-4
Remashree Muniandy (MAS) bt Teagan Roux (RSA) 11-9, 12-10, 14-12
Charlotte Orcutt (CAN) bt Jang Yea Won (KOR) 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt Moa Bönnemark (SWE) w/o
Taryn Emslie (RSA) bt Sophie Hodges (NZL) 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9
