Peruvian ace seeded to meet El Hammamy in Namibia final
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad Correspondent
Teenage star Diego Elias is poised to end Egypt’s decade-long stranglehold on the Men’s WSF World Junior Individual Squash Championship title next week in Namibia – and become Peru’s first ever world champion.
Both the Men’s & Women’s World Junior Championships – the sport’s first ever world championships to be held in the southern African country – will take place at the Wanderers Sports Club in the capital Windhoek from 10-15 August, followed by the Men’s World Junior Team Championship from 16-21 August. Centre-stage at the venue will be a Courtwall all-glass showcourt – seen in Namibia for the first time.
After winning the US, South American and Pan-American Junior squash titles last year, 17-year-old Elias is already enjoying a highly promising run on the PSA World Tour in 2014 – with three final berths and a maiden title already to his credit.
The Lima-based teenager is the event’s top seed and expected to meet defending champion Karim El Hammamy in the men’s final. Â However, Kent’s James Evans (right) is determined to put on a good show in the second round, if he can get past Namibia’s Gerhardus Lottering in the first round.
El Hammamy, the 18-year-old from Cairo won the title for the first time last year in Poland – becoming the fifth successive Egyptian champion and maintaining his country’s grip on the trophy since 2004.
Egypt have also held the women’s title for all but one year since 2003. The 2014 favourite is title-holder Nour El Sherbini, the 18-year-old from Alexandria who is bidding for a record fourth title after winning for the first time – aged just 13 – in 2009.
“The staging of these championships for the first time in Namibia is a great follow-on from the recent WSF Ambassador Programme visit to the country in 2012,” said World Squash Federation CEO Andrew Shelley.
“The championships have attracted more than 150 players from 30 nations from all corners of the globe.”
Men’s WSF World Junior Individual Championship 1st round draw:
[1] Diego Elias (PER) bye
Gerhardus Lottering (NAM) v James Evans (ENG)
Vijay Meena (IND) v Ricardo Toscano (GUA)
Ali Alqallaf (KUW) v Andres Gonzalez (COL)
Lau Tsz Kwan (HKG) v Cillian Dunne (IRL)
Elliot Msindisi Sibanda (BOT) v Juan Segundo Barreyro (ARG)
Max D Reed (USA) v Justin Wesson (RSA)
[13/16] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) v Nir Cohen (ISR)
[9/12] Israr Ahmed (PAK) bye
Yannick Omlor (GER) v Enzo Corigliano (FRA)
Miko Aijanen (FIN) v Michael Mehl (CAN)
Aubrey Lawrence (RSA) v Dairo Sandoval (COL)
Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) v James Peach (ENG)
Chapman Kutia (NZL) v Bernat Jaume (ESP)
Alexander Lundqvist (SWE) v Runyararo Kadyautumbe (ZIM)
[5/8] Mohamed Elgawarhy (EGY) bye
[5/8] George Parker (ENG) bye
Chris Lo (HKG) v Ivan Caucich (ARG)
Khaled Al-Jenaidel (KUW) v Tafadzwa Mushunje (ZIM)
Dylan Marc Spencer (NAM) v Mohammad Alsarraj (JOR)
Saad El Din Ehab (EGY) v Jean-Pierre van de Merwe (RSA)
Aqif Ampandi (MAS) v Qaini Bonilla (GUA)
David Baillargeon (CAN) v Thomas Kingshott (USA)
[9/12] David Ryan (IRL) bye
[13/16] Michael Craig (NIR) bye
Benjamin Aubert (FRA) v Derek Hsue (USA)
Abubakar Adamu (NGR) v Scott Galloway (NZL)
Pontus Rengbo (SWE) v Darren Chan (MAS)
Edmon Lopez Moller (ESP) v Le Hugo van Rooyen (NAM)
Roee Avraham (ISR) v Niklas Becher (GER)
Tebogo Thabologo (BOT) v Luke Michael Mannion (ZIM)
[3/4] Kush Kumar (IND) bye
[3/4] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bye
Jarryd Osborne (CAN) v Sean Redman (GER)
Mason Ripka (USA) v Velavan Senthilkumar (IND)
Patrick Rooney (ENG) v Nikita Gilevskiy (IRL)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v Noam Peer (ISR)
Santiago Orozco (COL) v Carel Olivier (NAM)
Mohammad Alterki (KUW) v Marti Munar (ESP)
[13/16] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bye
[9/12] Omar Elatmas (EGY) bye
Micky Joseph (BOT) v Timothy Robert Brownell (USA)
Santiago Camargo (COL) v Innocent Mukumba (ZIM)
Federico Cioffi (ARG) v George Diederik Bekker (NAM)
Syed Azlan Iqbal (QAT) v Kristian Rautiainen (FIN)
Max Trimble (NZL) v Wayne Sithole (RSA)
Tor Christoffersen (SWE) v Ong Sai Hung (MAS)
[5/8] Lyell Fuller (ENG) bye
[5/8] Daniel Poleshchuk (ISR) bye
Laurence Kuhn (RSA) v Oisin Logan (IRL)
Arjun Deepak Kochar (IND) v David Yacobucci (USA)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) v Luke Jones (NZL)
Lucas Wirths (GER) v Yuen Tsun Hei (HKG)
Mohammad Ali (KUW) v Michael Thompson (CAN)
Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) v Jami Aijanen (FIN)
[9/12] Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari (PAK) bye
[13/16] Youssef Soliman (EGY) v Carter Robitaille (CAN)
Kyle Christoper Robert Kriel (NAM) v Nicolas Valderrama (COL)
Callum Lawton (ZIM) v Mohd Mukhtar (MAS)
Madhav Dhingra (IND) v Nils Lindgren (SWE)
Theo Pelonomi (BOT) v Youssef Aboul-Makarim (EGY)
Ling To Yu (HKG) v A Yusuf (NGR)
Bryn Turk (ZIM) v Franco Andres Romiglio (ARG)
[2] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bye
Women’s WSF World Junior Individual Championship 1st round draw
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye
Amelia Henley (ENG) v Casey Sheyeong Wong (USA)
Andrea Lee (MAS) bye
[13/16] Kacey-Leigh Dodd (RSA) bye
[9/12] Lily Taylor (ENG) bye
Anandita Gupta (IND) v Nhadia Maria Gustavo (NAM)
Adebayo Kehinde (NGR) v Saskia Beinhard (GER)
[5/8] Marie Stephan (FRA) bye
[5/8] Habiba Mohamed Ahmed (EGY) bye
Lida-Marie Calizt (NAM) v Lynette Vai (PNG)
Sivasangari Subramanian (MAS) v Titiloayo Akinyele (NGR)
[9/12] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bye
[13/16] Laura Tovar (COL) bye
Kayley Leonard (USA) v Alison Thomson (ENG)
Linnea Gronlund Bengsson (SWE) v Funke Okikiola Oladunni (NGR)
[3/4] Salma Hany Ibrahim (EGY) bye
[3/4] Mariam Metwally (EGY) bye
Makgosi Peloakgosi (RSA) v Sara Vallejo (COL)
Zoe Foo (MAS) bye
[13/16] Reeham Sedky (USA) bye
[9/12] Georgina Kennedy (ENG) bye
Nadia Pfister (SUI) v Elsje van der Merwe (NAM)
Sunday Veronica (NGR) v Carley Kate Barton (ZIM)
[5/8] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
[5/8] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bye
Madlen Shea O’Connor (CAN) v Linnea Wallsten (SWE)
Daniela Scriba (NAM) v Nele Hatschek (GER)
[9/12] Olivia Fiechter (USA) bye
[13/16] Harshit Kaur Jawanda (IND) bye
Jessica Davis (ENG) bye
Alyssa Cummings (NAM) v Oludamnilola Oluwafemi (NGR)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye
Â