Yale University student Chiu Ho-ming was relieved that he was not drawn to play his younger brother Ho-fai in this week's Hong Kong Closed Squash Championships. Ho-ming, 20, is back in Hong Kong for the summer holidays after completing his first year at the prestigious American institution. A former student at Li Po Chun United World College, Ho-ming secured a US$32,000 sports scholarship with his sparkling academic record and commitment to squash. 'I think my brother has a great chance to reach the last eight,' said Ho-ming, who is the number five-ranked player on the Yale squash team, but is unseeded for the local tournament. 'I play more frequently than I did in Hong Kong. I think I can win my first-round match against Fung Ji-yung [today], but in round two I would play second seed Vincent Cheung [tomorrow]. It would be a tough match. I think Vincent will get to the final. 'The university standard is high. There are many good players from around the world. I'm training six days a week, and we travel all over the north-east for matches.' Ho-fai, 18, has shown he is equally talented after reaching the quarter-finals of the Buler Squash Challenge Cup in February. He surprisingly qualified for the main draw, then beat fellow-Hongkonger Roger Ngan, but eventually lost to Australian Glenn Keenan, ranked No 99 in the world. The Form Six student at King's College is the sixth seed, so will join the second round tomorrow. A victory for Ho-fai over Max Lee Ho-yin or Siu Chun-yin would set up a quarter-final match against fourth seed Dick Lau Siu-wai. Top seed is world number 67 Wong Wai-hang, who won his first professional tournament - the Buler Challenge - earlier this year. He will be a formidable opponent. 'Wong has improved so much in the past year and I expect he will be the champion,' said Ho-ming. Schoolgirls Chiu Ka-kei, Joey Chan Ho-ling, Annie Au Wing-chi and Leung Shin-nga will try to steal the glory from world no 17 Rebecca Chiu Wing-yin in the women's competition. The girls will see the event as ideal preparation for the World Junior Championships in Belgium in July, and with a cash prize of $20,000 on offer to the semi-finalists, the stakes are high. Winners of the men's and women's competitions will receive wild-card entries into the main draw of the World Championships which will be held in Hong Kong in December.
