New Delhi, Oct 29 : Fourth seed Raegan Alburquerque failed to clear the final hurdle, going down fighting to China’s Ding Shixian 8-11, 12-10, 11-13, 9-11, 11-13 in the Junior Boys final at the Egypt Open in Sharm El Sheikh.
The unseeded Chinese, making his maiden international appearance, conceded the second game before wrapping it up for an excellent career beginning and forcing the Indian to settle with a silver.
Having accounted for host nation’s Marwan Abdelwahab 11-7, 14-12, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12 in the semifinals on Sunday, Raegan was expected to make use of the opportunity later in the evening. Though his start was not as good as he would have wanted, he did manage to take the second game.
The 14-year-old Chinese, playing cautiously and maintaining his form, won several crucial points to upset the Indian’s attacking style of game. Ding won two vital games, the third and the fifth, on extended points for the title.
In Mini Cadet Boys singles, Vishal Rajveer Shah defeated Badr Mostafa of Egypt in another straight game final to claim the title. The Indian won 11-6, 11-6, 11-7.PTI
