Great combo: Ng Eain Yow (second from left) with his teammates Syafiq Kamal (left), Addeen Idrakie and C. Ameeshenraj (right) after winning gold at the Asian Team Championships in Dalian on June 16.
PETALING JAYA: Ng Eain Yow has been training in Bristol for the last five years but the world No. 13 is seeking a new base in Britain, the United States or even in Egypt to notch his professional career up a few degrees.
Eain Yow, 25, had trained under University of West England (UWE) coach John Welton and under Elite Squash academy coach Hadrian Stiff during his semester breaks in Bristol.
However, now that he has completed his degree in business administration at the UWE, the Malaysian is looking at fresh options although he will still be allowed to train under Welton as an alumni.
The Asian Team Championships was the last tournament for Eain Yow in a successful 2023-2024 season and he led the men’s team of Addeen Idrakie, Syafiq Kamal and C. Ameeshenraj to the team gold in Dalian.
Despite a hectic schedule that included the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the Professional Squash Association (PSA) tour on top of his final semester at the UWE, Eain Yow has had a stellar year.
He won the Asiad individual gold and his first PSA bronze level title at the German Open in April, made his maiden appearance in the British Open two weeks ago and also reached a career high world No. 13 ranking.
He returned from the Asian Teams yesterday and will have a two-week break before heading for his customary month-long summer training stint under Australian coach Shaun Moxham in New York next month.
“As of now, I have moved all my stuff out out of my rented place in Bristol,” said Eain Yow at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon arriving from Dalian yesterday.
“I will be heading to the US to train under Moxham and I will be there for a month and will take it from there.
“There many top coaches in the US and some good players and it is a sensible choice to be based there.
“I also have a few more options as there are other places in the UK and even potentially, in Cairo. But I’m not rushing into making a decision.”
Birmingham, Yorkshire and Manchester are where many top 30 squash players are based in the UK. New York in the US is another preferred destination for professional players including Eain Yow’s compatriot S. Sivasangari.
Eain Yow is also looking forward to breaking into the top 10 in the 2024-2025 season.
“I feel proud with the way I have finished my season (2023-2024). Reaching the world No. 13 shows that I’m staying on track to achieving my objective of making it to the top 10 next season.
“I was quite tired coming straight from the British Open but at the end, it was worth it as the team did an amazing job in Dalian.”
Meanwhile, women’s team member Rachel Arnold said the presence of world No. 10 Sivasangari took the pressure away from the team as they outplayed stiff rivals Hong Kong 2-0 in the final to wrest the title they lost in South Korea two years ago.
Sivasangari missed the 2022 event because of injuries suffered in a road accident but this time, she led the team comprising Rachel, Aifa Azman and Aira Azman in Dalian.
“We were stronger this time with Sangari in the team. It made us more comfortable,” said Rachel.
Sivasangari did not return to Kuala Lumpur with her teammates but flew to New York to resume her training under Australian coach David Palmer.
