Tomato Ho, Alex Lau seal historic squash double for Hong Kong
Duo win men’s and women’s titles at Asian Individual Squash Championships in Malaysia
Hong Kong celebrated double success at the Asian Individual Squash Championships in Malaysia on Saturday with triumphs for Tomato Ho Tze-lok and Alex Lau Tsz-kwan.
Ho beat home favourite Rachel Arnold 3-1 to secure a first Asian title, while Lau beat top seed Abdulla Al-Tamimi of Qatar in straight games at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Kuching to claim his maiden crown.
It marked the first time two Hongkongers won the men’s and women’s titles in the same year.
“I might look calm on the court but I was quite emotional and still didn’t believe I’d won it,” Ho said. “My opponent might feel more pressure due to her higher ranking and made more mistakes of her own.”
It was a game apiece before Ho took full control with a run so dominant, she even claimed a bagel to cap it off. She won 11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-0 in 35 minutes.
“I was playing my own game and listening to my coach’s instructions,” the 29-year-old said. “So even when I kept scoring in the final game, I wasn’t thinking about [the score] much.