Following some awesome results at the Egyptian Open, I thought it'd be a good idea to write a bit more about the up-and-coming Malaysian pro, Eain Yow Ng, in a more focused 'player profile' type blog post.
Aged 23, Eain Yow Ng is a Malaysian professional squash player who, after an incredibly strong junior career (including winning the World Junior Championships), has been consistently climbing the PSA rankings since he went pro. He currently sits at number 18 in the world.
Yow is sponsored by Dunlop and I believe he's been using Dunlop gear for the majority of his career so far, so he must have a pretty strong trust in the brand and its products.
Weighing 62kg and with a height of 170cm, he's not a particularly tall player, however, he still manages to move incredibly well around the court with speed, smoothness, and explosive power.
If you've ever watched Eain play, you've probably seen some of his amazing shots. He's renowned for his flair and ability to play accurate winners from all areas of the court, making him a very difficult player to predict.
He's also no stranger to the fitness side of the game, I've watched him endure a number of mammoth five-setters against a range of players and he can certainly hold his own when it comes to the physical side of things.
Yow had a great run of making it to the last 16 of some major tournaments during the 2018-19 season (pre-COVID), doing so at the Hong Kong Open, Black Ball Open, and the Canada Cup.
Fast forward to this season, Eain has been showing that he's capable of beating the best after his win against former World Champion, Karim Abdel Gawad, at the Allam British Open last month.
However, his results at the recent CIB Egyptian Open have really put him on the map.
After a bye in the first round, Eain Yow Ng managed to beat world number 9, Mostafa Asal, 3-0 in a very strong second-round performance. Asal is a force to be reckoned with at the moment, having beaten a number of top 10 players himself in recent tournaments.
In a PSA interview after the win, Yow said:
“He is playing the best squash in the last few months. The way he was playing is at the top of our game, so I had to believe in myself. That is the biggest difference this season. I actually believe in myself, and I’m not afraid to play anyone. I believe that I can beat anyone on the day and that’s the difference, the gain in confidence in my own game. I just did my job.”
There's no question that Eain is sticking to that mantra, as in his third-round match he proceeded to take the win over the Colombian Cannonball, Miguel Rodriguez in a five-game thriller after saving two match balls.
The two players met last month in the British Open when Rodriguez managed to take the win in a huge 101-minute match against the Malaysian, but, Yow managed to take his revenge.
After the match, Yow said:
“People who know me, my team, they know how hard I’ve been working over the last few years. Coming from winning the World Juniors, I wasn’t coming up as fast as I wanted to and the people close to me know how bad I was struggling with that. After being away from my family for a whole year in Bristol, it’s starting to pay off. The two ElShorbagy brothers toughen me up, and the reward is to play Mohamed in the next round.”
It's great to see Yow's enthusiasm and excitement towards getting to play Mohamed ElShorbagy in his next match. In fact, Yow's attitude, in general, is absolutely great. He seems to be a very cheerful, positive player and he clearly has a deep love for the game.
Although Eain Yow Ng went on to lose his match against ElShorbagy, I'd say he was the player of the tournament at the CIB Egyptian Open.
Considering he faced a pretty tough draw in Egypt, he took his matches head-on and managed to come out on top, showing that he can hold his own against the top guys.
He's proven that he has what it takes to reach the top and, if I was a betting man, I'd say he's got a good chance of making the top 10 in the next year or so. I'd love to see him in the top 5 the year after that.
He's still young and has plenty of time to grow, progress, and gain experience. If Eain Yow Ng manages to maintain his strong positive mental attitude, he's destined for some awesome results!
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