29th July 2017 - Final

[1] Egypt 2-0 [2] Malaysia
Hania El Hammamy 3-1 Sivasangari Subramaniam 11/8,
11/8, 6/11, 11/9 (44m)
Rowan Reda Araby 3-1 Andrea
Lee
11/4, 11/4, 9/11, 11/7 (37m)
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EGYPT DOMINATES THE JUNIOR
WORLD!!!!!
Egypt
have completed the clean sweep, adding the team’s title to the
men’s and women’s trophies they will take home.
With the top four seeded women in the tournament they were
always going to be hard to beat and so it proved with a 2-0 win
against Malaysia to add a sixth consecutive title to their
burgeoning trophy cabinet.
Women’s champion Rowan El Araby sealed the victory and
celebrated her 17th birthday with a 3-1 win against Andrea Lee.
It came after Hania El Hammamy, who El Araby had beaten
six days earlier in the women’s final, defeated Sivasangari
Subramaniam 3-1 in a match of such quality it defied their
teenage years.
Egypt
coach Omar Abdel Aziz said it had been hard to motivate
the players after the individuals tournament because with the
four top seeds, they had all hoped to win.
Egypt have, for a long time now, been the powerhouse in squash
and Aziz admitted the bar was high in terms of selections.
“And the production line is always there,” Aziz said.
I had to get them back up
psychologically. It was step by step, match by match to get
here.
We didn’t talk about the trophy, just the matches.
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“I’m just so happy to be able to do
this with my team
“I love Hania, I'm so happy she is a World Champion! She is my
friend and it’s amazing for her; and for me to be able to share
this happiness with her.”
Rowan El Araby |
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28th July 2017 - Semis
[1] Egypt 2-0 [4] Hong Kong
Amina Yousry 3-0 Chan Sin
Yuk 11/4, 11/3, 11/7 (17m)
Hania El Hammamy 3-0 Lui Hiu
Lam 11/4, 11/6, 11/1 (19m)
Rowan Reda Araby v Cheng Nga Ching
match withdrawn
[2] Malaysia 2-0 [3]
England
Aifa Azman 3-1
Jasmine Hutton 6/11, 12/10,
12/10, 11/6 (43m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam 3-0 Lucy Turmel 11/8, 11/8, 11/4
(31m)
Andrea Lee v Elise Lazarus
match withdrawn
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I was very disappointed to
lose the final of the individuals.
I didn't perform the way I wanted to and it's such a shame. But
I have a chance to win the team event. I have to forget about
the individuals and focus on the teams.
We are so happy to be in the final, it's the first time for all
of us to be in the team event, we're excited and we want to win
it.

We knew the first
was going to be crucial," said Malaysian coach
Aifa was all over the shop mentally with the pressure, and
Jasmine played well, she could and probably should have won, so
we were happy to take that one. But Sivasangari was in dominant
form.
It's going to be tough tomorrow, Egypt are obviously in good
form and haven't spent much time on court. There's no pressure
on us, but we're probably looking at replaying two matches that
both went against us in five in the individuals, so we'll just
see how it goes.
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Egypt &
Malaysia To Contest World Final
The top two seeds
Egypt and Malaysia will contest the final of the WSF Women's
World Junior Team Squash Championship in New Zealand after 2/0
victories in today's semi-finals at the Queen Elizabeth Youth
Centre in Tauranga.
Whilst hot favourites Egypt are celebrating their eighth
final in a row and bidding for a sixth successive title,
second seeds Malaysia are back in the final for the first
time since 2007 and for only the third time ever.
In the first semi, Egypt faced fourth seeds Hong Kong - the last
team to beat them, in the 2005 final. It was another quick
affair, Amina Yousry putting the side into the lead after
beating Chan Sin Yuk 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 in just 17 minutes
and world junior championship runner-up Hania El Hammamy
sealing victory with an 11-4, 11-6, 11-1 victory over Malaysian
Lui Hiu Lam.
El Hammamy is desperate to go one better than she did in the
individuals. The 16-year-old was top seed but lost to team-mate
Rowan Reda Araby in the final. It hurt then and it
still hurts now.
Malaysia beat former champions England 2/0 with Aifa Azman
getting the better of Jasmine Hutton in first match. The
18-year-old from Sussex took the lead for the third seeds, but
Azman recovered to take the next two games, both 12-10, before
wrapping it up in the fourth.
Malaysia's number one Sivasangari Subramaniam then made short
work of Lucy Turmel, winning in straight games to the delight of
herself and the Malaysian team, who will play their first final
in ten years.
Losing semi-finalists Hong Kong and England both win
bronze medals.
In the 5/8 playoff semi-finals USA beat hosts New Zealand 2/0
and India beat Germany 2/0. In the 9/16 playoff semi-finals,
Australia and Canada won through with 2/1 wins over South Africa
and Korea, respectively, while France beat Ireland 2/1 for their
first win, leaving the Irish in 14th place.
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27th July 2017 - Quarters

[1] Egyt 3-0 [10] Germany
Hania El Hammamy 3-0 Saskia Beinhard 11/6, 11/4,
11/0 (18m)
Zeina Mickawy 2-0 Eva
Nistler
11/4, 11/2 (10m)
Rowan Araby 3-0 Kacenka
Tycova
11/6, 11/4, 11/4 (15m)
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25th July 2017 - Pools, Day 1

Egypt 3-0
Australia
Rowan Araby 3-0 Lauren
Aspinall 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (15m)
Zeina Mickawy 3-0 Shehana
Vithana 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 (18m)
Amina Yousry 3-0 Alexandra
Haydon 11-2, 11-1, 11-7 (17m)
Egypt 3-0 New Zealand
Hania El Hammamy 3-0 Caitlyn
Watts 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (24m)
Zeina Mickawy 3-0 Camden Te
Kani-Mcqueen 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (13m)
Amina Yousry 3-0 Anika
Jackson 11-5 11-2 11-5 (15m) |

Finals
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-0
[1] Hania El Hammamy
11/7,
11/9, 11/8 (36m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek 3-2 [3/4]
Victor Crouin (Fra) 11/9, 3/11, 11/6, 3/11, 11/3
(57m)
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EGYPT ON THE TOP OF
WORLD(S)!!!!!!!
Report by Steve Cubbins &
Howard Harding
It was an Egyptian double - the fifth in the history of the
tournament - today in New Zealand where Marwan Tarek and
Rowan Reda Araby won the men's and women's titles,
respectively, in the WSF World Junior Squash Championships at
the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre in Tauranga.
16-year-old Araby, the runner-up in Poland a year ago, pulled
off a significant upset - leading in all games before beating
top-seeded compatriot Hania El Hammamy 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.
The pair had contested three British Junior Open finals since
2013, all of them won by El Hammamy - but Araby made her
breakthrough a year ago in Poland, beating her older rival for
the first time in the 2016 World Junior semi-finals.
Spurred on by her most recent success, the Alexandria-based
Araby charged to her straight games triumph over world No.35 El
Hammamy - also 16, but from Cairo - in 33 minutes, becoming the
seventh successive Egyptian winner of the women's title.
"I am so happy," said the 3/4 seed, ranked 15 places
lower. "I worked so hard for this title after coming second
last year. "It's difficult playing another Egyptian but there
are no friends on the court and I worked hard to stay calm.
"I didn't expect it to be three-nil. All the matches I play
against Hania are normally close. This is just amazing. I'm
sorry, I don't really have many words right now."

Both men's finalists pulled off upsets in the semis - leaving
the climax devoid of the event's top two seeds for the first
time since 2004.
Incredibly, Tarek was facing Victor Crouin for the first time
since meeting the Frenchman in the British U13 Junior Open in
January 2012! The match went the full distance, with 18-year-old
Crouin - bidding to become the first ever world junior champion
from France - twice drawing level after 18-year-old Tarek won
the first and third games.
But after losing the first point in the decider, Tarek reeled
off eight points in a row to take the match 11-9, 3-11, 11-6,
3-11, 11-2 in 58 minutes.
"I can't think right now, I'm the world champion, I'm the
world champion," said the 17-year-old from Cairo repeatedly.
"Dreams do come true."
Tarek revealed he was feeling the effects of his semi-final
win against top seed Youssef Ibrahim. "I wasn't 100 percent
ready. My body was weak but this is the world championships and
you have to survive."
The Tauranga climax marked the first Egyptian double since
2013 - when Karim El Hammamy & Nour El Sherbini won the
titles in Poland - but the fifth since the breakthrough success
by Mohamed Elshorbagy and El Sherbini in 2009.
The WSF World Junior Team Championship starts on Tuesday, with
Egypt favourites to claim the title for the sixth time in a row.
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LIVE STREAMING
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Semis
[1] Hania El Hammamy
3-0 [5/8] Satomi Watanabe (Jap)
12-10, 11-4, 12-10 (32m)
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-0
[5/8] Amina Yousry
11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (27m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek 3-1
[1] Youssef Ibrahim
13-11, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 (58m)
[3/4] Victor Crouin (Fra) 3-0 [2] Mohammad Al Sarraj (Jor)
11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (52m)
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Men's top seeds crash out
as a 7th all-Egyptian women's final beckons
Steve Cubbins reports

Both top seeds crashed
out in the men’s semi-finals as France’s Victor Crouin
and Egypt’s Marwan Tarek won through to the final in
Tauranga.
Crouin, the European Champion, played some of his best squash to
oust Jordan’s second seed Mohammed Al Sarraj, taking the
opening game and then controlling the final two after Al Sarraj
had levelled.
I’m
happy with my performance, I managed to play the way I have all
tournament, with good accuracy and managed to control a lot of
the rallies. It’s the third time we’ve played and the first time
I’ve beaten him, so I’m delighted with that and I still feel
fresh for the final.
It’s good to play in a venue like this in front of such a crowd.
I’m going to do my best to win this tournament, it would be a
first fror France after Greg and Camille finished runners-up and
it would be a dream to win this title …

Tarek took on compatriot and
close friend Youssef Ibrahim, and after taking a close
first game, raced through to a two-nil lead. Ibrahim fought
back, taking the third and a decid earning three games balls.
As has been the case all tournament though, unforced errors
proved to be Ibrahim’s undoing as Tarek took five points in a
row to reach the final.
I’m
extremely happy. He is like a brother to me, we hang out
together, we train together, we belong to the same club, we’ve
been in the national team since 2012 together so it was a hard
game for both of us. Our games are usually close, but inside the
court there are no friends so I’m happy to get through.
I haven’t played Victor since 2011, and I haven’t watched him at
all in this tournament.


The women’s final will be an
all-Egyptian affair - the seventh in a row - as top seeds
Hania El Hammamy and Rowan El Araby - both just 16
years old - won in straight games to set up a repeat of their
semi-final in last year’s event in Poland.
Hammamy beat Satomi Watanabe, the Japanese threatening to
extend the match with comebacks in the first and from 7-10 in
the third, while El Araby capitalised on an 8-1 start to
maintain control over Amina Yousry throughout the three games.
It
was three-nil, but it was a tough three-nil! I was glad to take
the first, the second went quickly, and I was feeling
comfortable in the third, going 10-7 up.
But she came back well, played some good shots so I was happy to
win in three.
It’s going to be an all-Egyptian final, which will be tough.
It’s harder playing an Egyptian, there’s no coasching when we
play so you have to do it all yourself, and I’ll be playing a
friend who usually supports me but will be against me!
But I’m so pleased to make the final for the first time, I hope
I can play well tommorow …

I’m
so excited to make the final again. I just wanted to go out to
enjoy my squash today, stay calm, and that helped me to play the
squash I can play.
I’m amazed how I played; I wasn’t expecting this, our games are
always so tough against and it’s hard to play against another
Egyptian. We are teammates and friends and now we have to be
competitors.
“It’s difficult, but I’ve said all week I want to go one better
than last year, so I just want to enjoy it and play my best.

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DAY FOUR - SATURDAY 22nd JULY |
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Quarters
[1] Hania El Hammamy
3-2 [5/8] S. Subramaniam (Mas) 11/9, 9/11, 6/11, 11/6,
11/1 (54m)
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-2
[5/8] Andrea Lee (Mal) 11/8, 11/13, 12/10, 9/11, 11/6 (52m)
[5/8] Amina Yousry 3-0
[2] Zeina Mickawy 12/10,
13/11, 11/8 (48m)
[1] Youssef Ibrahim 3-0
[5/8] Andrew Douglas (Usa) 11/4, 11/3,10/12, 10/12, 11/9 (53m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek 3-1 [5/8]
Abhay Singh (Ind)
8/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/6 (52m)
[3/4] Victor Crouin (Fra) 3-0 Aly Hussein
11/8, 11/4, 11/4 (42m)
[2] Mohammad Al Sarraj (Jor) 3-0 [9/16] Mostafa Asal
11/8, 11/6, 11/6 (40m)
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Top seeds survive in
Tarangua
Steve Cubbins reports
A dramatic quarter-finals day of the WSF World Juniors in
Tauranga saw both Egyptian top seeds survive game battles.
Men’s top seed Youssef Ibrahim looked to have put his
nerve early performances behind him as he took a two-game lead
over Andrew Douglas, but the American fought back, saving a
match ball in the 4th to lead 9-7 in a tense decider before
Ibrahim took the last three points to his, and the Egyptian
camp’s delight.
So
much pressure, I was winning comfortably then it became so tense.
I was playing well, keeping my focus but I couldn’t hold it for
three games. I beat him 3-0 in the round of 32 last year, this
was much tougher.
“It was close, again, but I feel I’m handling the pressure
better now than in the early rounds, and I’m looking forward to
playing a close friend tomorrow.
We Egyptians don’t like playing each other in tournaments but it
has to be done.


He’ll meet compatriot Marwan
Tarek after the 3/4 seed came from a game down to beat
India’s Abhay Singh.
I
was tense before and during the match, and losing the first made
it very tough.
But my coach helped me through, when you want it so much it can
work against you and you get overexcited.
“I’m really happy to be in the semis, I’m aiming to stay in the
tournament as long as I can, taking it step by step.


We
lost two Egyptian boys today in the bottom half of the draw,
Mostafa and Aly: both Egyptians had made the quarter-final
against the seedings but were beaten in straight games.
Second seed Mohammed Alsarraj from Jordan beat Mostafa
Assal to set up a semi-final with France’ European Champion
Victor Crouin, who despatched the only unseeded Aly
Hussain in the opening match of the day.

The women’s matches
started with an all-Egyptian match which saw 5/8 seed Amina
Yousry overcome second seed Zeina Mickawy in three
close games. She faces another Egyptian opponent in the semis
after 2016 finalist Rowan Elaraby prevailed in a see-saw
five-setter against Malaysia’s Andrea Lee.
We
have the utmost respect for each other, which makes it more
special for whoever wins. We always have close matches, even
today it was three-nil but so close, it depends who needs it
more, it was Zeina in the British, today I just had the edge.
My aim today was to just go out and enjoy it, and I did! It was
getting a bit nervy in the third, I was 6-2 and 107 up but we
both play better when we’re down, I was so glad when the referee
called a stroke on the final point!

I
played her in the quarters of the last worlds and that was 3-1
so I knew it would be tough. I was very pressured out there, and
when she came back from 4-9 to take the fourth even more so.
So I started the fifth just trying to keep the ball to a length
and it worked.
“I’m happy, but I still want more …


The top half of the draw
witnessed two more five game thrillers as top seed Hania El
Hammamy had to come from two-one down to see off the
challenge of Malasia’s Sivasangari Subramanian, racing through
the fifth 11/1, and Japan’s Satomi Watanabe eventually
denied 14-year-old American prodigy Marina Stefanoni.
I
played her not long ago in Gouna and won 3-0, so I wasn’t
expecting that at all, but in the end I found the right way to
play.
I’m excited to make the semi-finals again, but I’m not going to
think about last year. I played Satomi in the British this year
and won 3-0, but I know I have to be careful, and ready.
Satomi Sinks Stefanoni To
Make Historic World Semi
Satomi
Watanabe wrote her name into squash history today after
beating US opponent Marina Stefanoni in the women's
quarter-finals to become the first ever Japanese player
to reach the men's or women's semi-finals of the prestigious
World Squash Federation championship.
Seeded to reach the last eight at the Devoy Squash & Fitness
Centre in Tauranga, the 18-year-old from Yokohama was making her
fifth and final appearance in the championship after making her
debut in 2012 as a 13-year-old.
Taken the full distance by Stefanoni - the 14-year-old who
ousted 3/4 seed Nada Abbas in the biggest upset of the previous
day - Watanabe ultimately prevailed 13-15, 12-10, 11-8, 9-11,
11-4 in 48 minutes.
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DAY THREE - FRIDAY 21st JULY |
Last 16
[1] Hania El Hammamy
3-0 [13/16] Chan Yiwen (Mas)
11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (22m)
[13/16] Marina Stefanoni (Usa) 3-1 [3/4] Nada Abbas
12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 (41m)
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-0
Jana Shiha
12-10, 11-5, 11-3 (24m)
[5/8] Amina Yousry 3-1
[9/12] Lui Hiu Lam (Hkg)
11-2, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2 (28m)
[2] Zeina Mickawy 3-0 [13/16]
Aifa Azman (Mas)
12-10, 13-11, 11-7 (25m)
[1] Youssef Ibrahim 3-2 [13/16]
Ong Sai Hung
9-11, 16-14, 14-16, 11-7, 11-5 (66m)
[5/8] Abhay Singh (Ind) 3-1[9/16] Mohamed Elshamy
10-12, 11-7, 13-11, 11-8 (38m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek
3-0 [13/16] Adam Corcoran
11-5, 11-6, 14-12 (38m)
Aly Hussein 3-2 [5/8] Adhitya
Raghavan (Ind)
11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-3 (47m)
[9/16] Mostafa Asal 3-0 [5/8]
Kyle Finch (Eng)
11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (43m)
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Official Site
Official
Blog |
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Mixed World Fortunes For
Egyptians In New Zealand
by Howard Harding & Steve
Cubbins
Significant
upsets by Mostafa Asal - a shock 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 victory
in 43 minutes over Kyle Finch, a 5/8 seed from England - and
Aly Hussein - overcoming [5/8] Adhitya Raghavan from Inda,
back from 2/1 down, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-3 - aged only 16
and 17, respectively - have led to Egypt having four players
in the men's quarter-finals of the WSF World Junior Squash
Championships for the first time in seven years.
With Egyptian interest in each of the four men's quarter-finals,
Asal now faces No.2 seed Mohammad Al Sarraj.
To be noted that Aly Hussein became the only unseeded
player in the last eight!!!The Cairo-born 17-year-old now
lines up against Frenchman only representative Victor Crouin for
a place in the semi-finals.
After being 9-4
down in the first, I'm so happy to be the fourth Egyptian in the
quarter-finals!

But
there was a surprise Egyptian exit in the women's event when
Nada Abbas - a 17-year-old from Giza predicted to make the
semi-finals - went down to USA's 14-year-old Marina Stefanoni
in the biggest upset of the day.
Unranked Stefanoni was facing 3/4 seed Nada Abbas for the first
time - but played the game of her life to overcome an opponent
ranked 37 in the world 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 in 41 minutes.
I’d
never played her before, but I watched her play yesterday and
saw how her opponent was winning points so I tried to replicare
that. I started well but she fought back and I had to try to
catch up again.
At 6-1 in the fourth I lost a bit of focus, thinking it would be
pretty cool to be in the quarters, but at 7-6 down I knew I had
to get back to my game.
It feels great to be in the quarters, realy excited about that!

An Egyptian semi-finalist
is assured at the bottom of the draw where Amina Yousry and
Zeina Mickawy meet in the quarters. 5/8 seed Yousry beat
Hong Kong's Lui Hiu Lam 11-2, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2, while second
seed Mickawy defeated Malaysian Aifa Azman 12-10, 13-11, 11-7.
She's
an up and coming player and she's going to be something, so all
the pressure was on me. Happy to get through that in three.
She’s an improving player, very talented and she’s going to be
something, so all the pressure was on me.
I tried hard not to lose a game, which would have given her
confidence. I had more confidence in the third,, being two-nil
up gives you that!

I
lost a bit of focus after the first game, I was thinking that it
was my first time on the glass and I wouldn’t find my marks -
which is strange, because this is exactly the type of court I
love playing on!
I found my my length better at the end and it went well.
I’ll need to play better for the whole match tomorrow!

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I was surprised by
his performance, but he beat one of my teammates yesterday so
he’s having a great run.
He attacks so well, I couldn’t stop him, and the cold conditions
suited him, I just had to try to keep the rallies alive and hope
for a mistake.
I’m just relieved to get out of that one. It’s so hard to
concentrate when you’re top seed, everyone wants to beat you. It
was a big mental challenge for me, I’m happy how I dealt with it
in the last two games, that makes me feel confident for the rest
of the tournament.



That was really
tough, I didn’t see that coming after an 8-0 start, but he’s a
good mover and came back well. I think I handled it well at the
end, behind most of the game but on top at the very end.
This is my second world juniors and my second quarter-final.
Last year I lost in five but this time I’m 3/4 seed, I’ll be
doing all it takes to stay in the tournament.

 

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DAY TWO - THURSDAY 20th JULY |


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Round 3
[1] Hania El Hammamy
3-0 Ka
Wing Ho (Hkg)
11-4, 11-3, 11-2 (19m)
[3/4] Nada Abbas 3-2 Aishwarya
Bhattacharya (Ind) 11-4, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3 (36m)
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-0 Nicole
Kendall (Can)
11-1, 11-2, 11-2 (13m)
Jana Shiha 3-0 [13/16] Akanksha
Salunkhe (Ind)
11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (16m)
[5/8] Amina Yousry 3-0 Kristýna
Fialová (Cze)
11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (20m)
[2] Zeina Mickawy 3-0 Faith Panashe
Sithole (Rsa)
11-6, 11-3, 11-7 (15m)
[1] Youssef Ibrahim 3-0 Ronald Palomino (Col)
11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (26m)
[13/16] Ong Sai
Hung (Mas) 3-2 Ahmed Elmashad
3-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-4 (46m)
[9/16] Mohamed Elshamy 3-2 Cole
Becker (Usa) 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5,
12-10 (41m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek 3-0 Yash Fadte (Ind)
11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (25m)
Aly Hussein 3-0 [9/12] Roman Allinckx
(Sui)
11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (48m)
[9/16] Mostafa Asal 3-0 Inaki De
Larrauri (Col)
11-1, 11-4, 11-7 (24m)
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Aly & Jana surprise, Nada
Prevails
Good
result for our unseeded Aly Hussein, a world championship
debutant, as he despatched Roman Allinckx, a 9/16 seed from
Switzerland, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 in 48 minutes. The Cairo-born 17-year-old,
one of five Egyptians through to the men's last 16, will need to
overcome India's 5/8 seed Adhitya Raghavan to secure a
place in the quarter-finals.
15-year-old Jana Shiha produced the standout upset in the
women's event after ousting 18-year-old Akanksha Salunkhe, a
9/16 seed from India. The Alexandrian's 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 victory
in just 16 minutes takes Shiha through to the last 16 where she
will face compatriot Rowan Reda Araby.
Runner-up in 2016, 16-year-old Araby - also from Alexandria -
defeated Canadian Nicole Kendall 11-1, 11-2, 11-2.
Top
seed Hania El Hammamy brushed aside Hong Kong's Ka Wing
Ho 11-4, 11-3, 11-2 to lead six Egyptians into the fourth round.
Predicted semi-finalist Nada Abbas, however, was taken
the full distance before claiming her anticipated place in the
last 16. From 2/1 down, the 17-year-old from Giza finally got
the better of India's 18-year-old Aishwarya Bhattacharya 11-4,
8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3.
We lost one Egyptian player, when Malaysia’s Ong Sai Hung
came from two games down to deny Ahmed Elmashad. A good
battle for Mohamed Elshamy, who saved match balls before
seeing off Cole Becker 12/10 in the decider.
The Rest of the World
After producing the only seeding
upset on the opening day of action in the WSF World Junior
Squash Championships in New Zealand, Colombian outsider
Matias Knudsen battled through to the men's last 16 of the
World Squash Federation event today at the Devoy Squash &
Fitness Centre in the city of Tauranga.
The unranked 17-year-old from Bogota needed 54 minutes to see
off Pakistan's world No.482 Abbas Zeb 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11,
11-9.
"I
was two-nil 10-7 down yesterday, and today I was 10-7 up in the
third and it was very hard to finish," said Knudsen, coached
by recently-appointed Colombian national coach Martin Knight,
the former world No.38 from New Zealand.
"I'm so excited to be in the last sixteen - this is my third
world juniors, I'm getting further each time and I still have
one more to go!"
Bidding to become the first Colombian ever to reach the event's
quarter-finals, Knudsen now faces No.2 seed Mohammad Al Sarraj.
Al Sarraj, from Jordan, defeated USA's Salim Khan 11-7, 11-9,
12-10.
16-year-old local hope Kaitlyn Watts was unable to pull off the
upset she needed to reach the 4th round. The highest-ranked New
Zealander in the women's draw, Watts went down 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
to Malaysian Chan Yiwen, a 9/16 seed. |
DAY ONE - WEDNESDAY 19th JULY |

Round 2
[1] Hania El Hammamy
3-0 Ashita Bhengra (Ind)
11-2, 11-1, 11-3
[3/4] Nada Abbas 3-0 Osborne
(Aus) v Te Kani-McQueen (Nzl) 11-6,
11-4, 11-9
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby 3-0
Grace Pattison (Aus)
11-2, 11-4, 11-1
Jana Shiha 3-0 Chae Won Song
(Kor)
11-3, 11-6, 11-8
[5/8] Amina Yousry 3-0
Jennifer Preece (RSA)
11-1, 11-5, 11-1
[2] Zeina Mickawy 3-0
Elisabeth Ross (Usa)
9-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7
[1] Youssef Ibrahim 3-0
Salaheldin Eltorgman (Can)
11-2, 11-6, 11-3
Ahmed Elmashad 3-0 Nils
Schwab (Ger)
11-5, 11-2, 11-6
[9/16] Mohamed Elshamy 3-2
Jeremias Azaña (Arg) 11-7, 11-13, 11-4, 13-11
[3/4] Marwan Tarek 3-0
Jesper Phillips (Nor)
11-0, 11-5, 11-5
Aly Hussein 3-0 Luis
Alejandro Mancilla (Col)
11-4, 11-7, 11-3
[9/16] Mostafa Asal 3-0
Miguel Gonzalo Pujol (Arg)
11-9, 11-7, 11-3
DAY ONE, NO TROUBLE....
Good start for the Egyptian players today. Never easy to play
against players that have nothing to lose, and will go for it -
as only juniors can!
So, all the Egyptians won their matches 3/0 except for Zeina
Mickawy that lost her first round 11/9, only to take the next
three 7, 4 and 7 against USA Elisabeth Ross.
In the boys' draw, to be noted the excellent Argentinian
Jeremias Azaña, who had already played 5 games in the morning
against South African Keanu Langford, and who pushed Mohamed
Elshamy to 5 again! Bet your racquet he'll be sleeping well
tonight...
Rest of the World
Colombian Matias Knudsen produced the day's sole seeding
upset after fighting back from two games down to dismiss
Pakistani Mansoor Zaman (Jnr), a 9/16 seed, 7-11, 9-11, 12-10,
11-6, 11-9. The 17-year-old from Bogota will now face further
Pakistan opposition in Abbas Zeb for a place in the last 16.
Our top seed Youssef Ibrahim eased into the third round
after defeating Canadian Salaheldin Eltorgman 11-2, 11-6, 11-3.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Al Sarraj, the Egyptian's anticipated
opponent in the final, needed four games to get over his first
hurdle, beating home hope Mitchell Kempton 5-11, 11-4, 11-7,
11-3.
Kaitlyn Watts, the top-ranked New Zealander in the
women's draw, delighted home supporters with an 11-4, 11-2, 11-6
defeat of Australian Courtney Mather in just 18 minutes. The 16-year-old
from Palmerston North now faces Malaysian Chan Yiwen, a 9/16
seed.
Stay tuned, people...
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And they have arrived!
"It was a bit of a journey really", confessed National
Coach Omar Abdel Aziz. First they had to go to Dubai, 2h
there, then 16 hours flight to Aukland. Didn't stop there,
though, a bus to Tauranga...
Finally they arrived at the hotel at 11am.. But at 3pm, off they
went to train already! Some biking and sweat for the players,
then stretching and mobility.
Finally, they got some dinner.. Pfew, what a day!!! "The
place is nice", concluded the National Coach
Stay tuned...
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