Singapore claim bronze at Asian Junior Squash Team Championships

It was not Saiesha Ranjan's first time competing on the continental stage, but the Asian Junior Squash Team Championships presented a different challenge to the Singaporean teenager.

The team element of the tournament placed more pressure on the 17-year-old captain of Singapore's young squad, which also comprised Naisha Singh and Jayna Lim, both 14, and Jacintha Han, 13.

But, in the absence of several of the Republic's top youth players, Saiesha and her teammates stepped up and exceeded expectations to clinch a joint-bronze at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.

The fifth seeds reached the semi-finals, where they lost 3-0 to second-seeded Malaysia on Feb 15.

This was the Republic's first podium finish in the girls' team event at this tournament since 2017, when they achieved the same result.

Saiesha, who had taken part in the Asian junior individual championships twice, felt added pressure as the most experienced player, knowing that her results would affect the team's. But their months of hard work showed in their results, she added.

"I would've never thought that we'd be on the same level as Asia's squash powerhouses because Singapore hasn't always been at the top, especially in the girls' scene," said the second-year junior college student at Raffles Institution.

"Considering we have one of the youngest teams that was ever sent for an Asian team championships as well, it feels really amazing."

Singapore were without Ong Zhe Sim, Swetha Sivakumar, Gracia Chua and Vicky Lai, who missed the tournament as they were not competition-ready, having been off training for some time due to major examinations at the end of 2024. Another top junior Au Yeong Wai lynn did not compete as she is based overseas.

But the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA) decided to send Saiesha and her teammates, knowing "there is a much further runway" for them, said its general manager Alex Wan.

"Three of the girls (who claimed bronze this time) will be eligible to play in the next two editions of the Asian junior teams," he added. "For the girls to play beyond their ceiling at this young age is really a remarkable achievement."

Saiesha attributed the medal to the team's preparations, noting that they had focused on improving their fitness. They also had one-on-one sessions with coaches to hone their techniques and tactics in the months leading up to the tournament.

Their hard work came to fruition at a crucial juncture of the campaign, as fifth seeds Singapore upset fourth seeds South Korea 3-0 on Feb 14 to finish second in Pool A behind hosts Hong Kong and advance to the semi-finals.

Playing the first match against South Korea, the pressure was on Saiesha but, with the support of her teammates and coaches, she came from behind twice to beat Park Sol-min 3-2 (15-17, 11-8, 3-11, 11-9, 11-4).

While they lost their semi-final to Malaysia, who were beaten by top seeds Hong Kong in the Feb 16 final, Saiesha hailed the efforts of her team, saying: "We've come really far together as a team. We've improved a lot as players mentally and physically while preparing for this tournament, so we can take away a lot."

Wan believes the team's accomplishments are a result of the SSRA's investment in its junior athletes after the Covid-19 pandemic.

They have gone for overseas competitions over the past few years, with the SSRA having also grown its national training squad from about 20, including seniors, in 2020, to about 50 currently.

He hopes they can build on this at upcoming events such as the July 1-5 Asian Junior Individual Championships in South Korea, the World Squash Junior Championships in Egypt from July 21 to Aug 1 and the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand.

Wan said: "Having them exposed to many competitions has also created a very positive mindset where they are prioritising their training a lot more than in the past. We hope to see them continue doing so."

For Naisha, the team's performance in Hong Kong serves as extra motivation for the rest of 2025.

The Raffles Girls' School student said: "The bronze result is very promising and it's given me a lot of confidence and self-belief that we can do it, we can compete at a regional and international level, with some of the most elite in Asia.

"It shows that we are not that far behind and it's making us strive even harder to improve our game in training, so that we can all prepare better for the international tournaments later in the year."