SQUASH: BOROUGH squash star Lewis Anderson is adamant he can win one of the biggest titles in junior squash after finishing 13th at the Dunlop British Junior Open in Birmingham.
The 16-year-old was one of 620 budding juniors in action at the prestigious event which finished a successful first year of three on Sunday at the University of Birmingham and three other leading venues in the city.
There were high hopes that Anderson could reach the business end of the main draw, but had to settle for 13th place after being knocked out in the last 16 by India’s Tushar Shahani.
But the Solihull Sixth Form College pupil believes by having banked knowledge of playing the world’s best juniors he can claim a title in the next two years.
“It was a shame to go out (to Shahani),” said Anderson.
“I went two games down and managed to claw it back level,
“But I think I worked too hard and in the end it was too much. With a little bit more fitness I could have won it.”
Anderson headed into the event in top form after claiming his maiden title at the British under-17 national title in October.
The talented teenager had never gone beyond the second round at the Dunlop British Junior Open, so his 2018 tournament must be regarded as a step in the right direction.
“It was such a good experience to play all kinds of players from across the globe,” he added.
“In two years it will be my last junior event here in the under-19. It’s be great to end my junior career here and to win the title.”
Mike Edwards, the tournament organiser, was left more than happy by a successful first year in the city.
He said: “Our goal was to increase the draw size, which we’ve done and we’ve manged to create a really professional tourament approach for the players.
“We’re really pleased with the sponsors we have been able to attract and we thank them for their support. It’s a big area we want to improve on for next year when we want to put on an even bigger and better event.”
The other West Midlands venues which were used for the event were the Edgbaston Priory Club (eight courts), Solihull Arden Club (four courts) and the West Warwickshire Club (three courts).
