MALVERN Hills club ace Ryan Atkins has won the English indoor under-25s singles title at White Oak.
Atkins qualified for the final stages in Swanley, Kent, as the Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire area champion.
He then defeated junior international Lloyd Sabbatini, of Berkshire, in the regional play-off.
At the national championships, Atkins faced Ipswich’s Lee Calver and won an exciting clash on a tie-break to go through to the quarter-finals.
He then had a comfortable 2-0 win over Danny Smith, of Victory, Portsmouth.
The semis paired Atkins with Martin Cheeseman, of Cyphers from Kent.
The Malvern player took the first set 8-6 and edged the second to make the final against Zak Kidd, of Plymouth.
After losing the opening set, Atkins came back strongly to win the second and he then prospered in a three-end tie-break.
He will represent England in the British Isles and world indoor under-25s singles. The British contest is on February 14 and 15 in Glasgow.
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