IN an all-Filipino finale, Jonathan Reyes upended top seed and national teammate Christopher Buraga in five pulsating sets 7-11, 11-4, 5-11, 16-14, 11-9 over the weekend to capture the Under-17 boys’ championship of the CIMB National Junior Circuit second leg in Kuching, Malaysia.
Fresh from an exhilarating 11-6, 11-9, 12-14, 8-11, 11-7 triumph over Malaysian No. 2 seed Sel Keshan Gunasekaran, Reyes, 16, went toe-to-toe against Buraga,15, who dispatched Malaysian No. 3 seed Khalid Abdul Basir 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 in the other semis, before emerging with the well-deserved win in 50 minutes of riveting play.
“We are both proud of Jonathan and Christopher for reaching the finals of this tough tournament. Both played solidly and it was nice that that they finished 1-2 in their age group,” noted Philippine Squash Academy president Robert Bachmann.
“They represent the promising future of Philippine squash,” added Bachmann, noting that 111 junior players saw action in the boys and girls’ Under-19, Under-17 and Under-15 divisions.
Making her debut in the competition was Aerra Relano, who won her opening match 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 over Petaling Jaya’s Batrisyia Umaira bin Mohammad Josli before losing to Agatha Cheng Ching 4-11, 3-11, 5-11 in the second round of the girls’ Under-15 division.
“This is Aerra’s first venture into international competition so her showing is respectable enough,” Bachmann said.
“The future of Philippine squash is bright because we are slowly but surely seeing our young squash players improving as they get more exposure overseas,” he added.
Bachmann said the three will remain in Malaysia for the 7th Borneo Open in Kuching.
