EainYow Ng

Falling in love with the game

Ever since I was introduced to squash at 5 years old by my dad, I immediately took a liking to the sport and fell in love playing. My dad was a social squash player, and I would always tag along whenever he was playing with his friends. I always looked forward to the evenings after school knowing that I would be able to play squash.

My dad registered me to a state squash association when I was 7 years old and that was when I started learning squash properly. I started playing tournaments around Malaysia at 8 years old, travelling around the country to compete.

With players like Nicol David, Ong Beng Hee and Azlan Iskandar playing at their peak for Malaysia during those periods, I was inspired to compete at the international level for Malaysia. I first represented my country when I was 9 and continued throughout my junior career, winning 3 British Junior Opens and the 2016 World Junior Championship along the way.

I then had to decide between going pro or furthering my tertiary studies but with the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games being held in 2018, I ultimately decided to go pro and focus on doing well for the country. The decision to go pro paid off as I was able to clinch the winning point for Malaysia in the Asian Games team finals and bring back the gold medal.

Squash is such a unique game in my eyes, to do well you have to be strong in all areas including physically, mentally, and tactically. I love that there are so many ways that you can approach the game too, you can win by playing the style that you want. You can win by being fitter than your opponent or you can beat them with a better gameplan.

There is no one way to be a good squash player and this is what I love about the sport.

Squash has given me a lot and continues to give me opportunities to maximise my potential. With the support of everyone, I will continue to work hard and aim to reach the top.

My best so far

As mentioned earlier, winning the Asian Games Team Gold medal in 2018 would be one of my biggest achievement thus far. Knowing that the whole country was counting on me and supporting me was a feeling second to none.

Winning the World Juniors in 2016 was a major achievement for me as well. I trained so hard throughout my junior career to win that title. When I won it, I went into a state of disbelief and just broke down into tears while hugging my coach. The World Junior title was very special to me.

Besides that, winning my biggest professional title Malaysian Open in 2019 in front of my family and friends was one of my best wins too. I have fond memories of playing at home and I really hope that Malaysia will host big events again in the future!