KATIE MALLIFF - U23 SQUASH CHAMP

Wendover Athlete top Women's U23 Squash Player in Britain

England's Katie Malliff and India's Abhay Singh were crowned British U23 Open champions after recording straight games victories in their respective finals at Roehampton on Sunday 26 January 2020

. European Junior Under 19 silver medallist Katie Malliff, seeded second, got off to a strong start against 3/4 seed Kiera Marshall, taking a 7-3 lead before closing out the first game with an 11-7 win.

The second game saw Marshall, 18, put more pressure on her 16-year-old opponent and with three game ball points at 10-7, she looked set to level. But Malliff fought back, saving a further four game balls to win the second 20-18.

The third game saw Malliff reassert the control that had seen her take the first game, and with a 5-2 lead early on, the onus was on Marshall - ranked 2nd in England in the Girls Under 19s - to claw herself back into contention. Yet with both players tiring after the lengthy second game, errors began to surface from both, and Malliff managed to maintain her lead to seal a decisive 11-7 victory in the third to capture her maiden British Open U23 title.

In the Men’s final, 21-year-old Abhay Singh lived up to his billing as the number one seed, but was pushed hard by his 16-yearold opponent, Ben Smith, seeded second.

British Under 23 Championships 2020 Final: results: Women's: Katie Malliff bt Kiera Marshall 3-0: 11-7, 20-18, 11-7 (37 mins). Men’s: Abhay Singh bt Ben Smith 3-0: 11-3, 15-13, 11-9 (37 mins)

title photo: Abhay and Katie with their trophies. Image T Malliff.