SHAYAN Siraj came back from the brink twice to record an improbable doubles victory at the PG Mutual Cadet & Junior National Championships.

The Bramhope youngster was paired with Joe Clark and they faced fierce battles in the semi-final and final, having to work hard to secure the title.

Siraj and Clark took on Sam Wilson and Alexander Ahl in the semis, and after losing narrowly in the opening two sets, their prospects look bleak

However, the top seeds managed to sort out their tactics and pulled back to take the next three with relative ease and win 3-2 (10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5).

The pair then took on second seeds Ethan Walsh and James Smith in the final and it was a match of paper-thin margins.

Siraj and Clark came from 2-0 down, though any of the five games could have gone either way, and the final scoreline was 3-2 again (10-12, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10).

The result was the perfect response from Siraj, who suffered disappointment in the singles earlier in the day. The top seed was stunned in the first round by his doubles semi-final opponent Wilson, losing 4-0 (11-9, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5).

Speaking after the event, Siraj, who is 16, said: “Against Sam, I think he played well, but I was quite tense the whole game and quite nervous, and I didn’t play my best.

“It was my first match and the Nationals are a big event, so the pressure is quite big.

“At first I was quite down, but we played well in the doubles and it’s a good achievement to win that – and I’ve still got next year for the singles.”