Mehboob & Au Win Asian Junior Titles

Pakistan's Farhan Mehboob and Hong Kong's Annie Au clinched the men's and women's titles, respectively, in the Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment Asian Junior Championships in Hong Kong.

The 13th Asian Junior Championships, featuring individual and team competitions, have attracted a record entry of over 110 players from 15 member nations of the Asian Squash Federation.

Top seed Mehboob reclaimed the title he first won in 2003 in his home country as a 14-year-old. The 18-year-old left-hander from Peshawar reached the final without dropping a game. His opponent Abdullah Almezayen, the No2 seed from Kuwait, had to overcome Farhan's 15-year-old younger brother Waqar in the semi-finals.

But the Kuwaiti was unable to celebrate a final victory as a junior - he celebrates his 19th birthday tomorrow - when Farhan strode to his 9-5, 9-5, 9-3 championship win in 51 minutes.

The hosts enjoyed an all-Hong Kong women's final after 3/4 seed Joey Chan defeated Malaysia's top seed Wee Wern Low in straight games in the semi-finals. And Chan, the 18-year-old winner of the Scottish Junior Open title at the end of last year, took the opening game in the final against compatriot Annie Au, the second seed.

But 17-year-old Au fought back to clinch the women's title 6-9, 10-8, 9-3, 9-2 in 45 minutes.

"I didn't play well in the first game - I was a little bit tense - but I speeded it up in the second and it really worked for me," said left-hander Au, runner-up two years ago and the second Hong Kong player to win the title, after Rebecca Chiu in 1997.

Men's final:
[1] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [2] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) 9-5, 9-5, 9-3 (51m)

Women's final:
[2] Annie Au (HKG) bt [3/4] Joey Chan (HKG) 6-9, 10-8, 9-3, 9-2 (45m)