Thursday, March 28, 2024

Egypt and Malaysia dominate Dunlop British Junior Open quarter-finals

Kah Yan Ooi (right) in action against Georgia Adderley

Georgia Adderley driven out by Ooi
By DONNA HELMER in Birmingham

Day two of the Dunlop British Junior Open in Birmingham saw Egypt and Malaysia reaffirm their dominance on the world junior stage and collectively seal 50 quarter-final spots across ten age categories.

A total of 33 juniors from Egypt and 17 from Malaysia will contest their place in the last four, and will see Egyptian representation across all of the ten age categories.

History was made in the Girls’ Under 19 event as Malaysian Kah Yan Ooi [9/16] defied her seeding by edging [5/8] Georgia Adderley of Scotland and join Aifa Azman and Chan Yiwen as part of the first trio of Malaysians ever to reach the age category’s last eight.

Meanwhile, Czech Republic’s Ondrej Vorlícek and Viktor Byrtus remarkably became the first two Czechs ever to reach a British Junior Open Boys’ Under 19 quarter-final.

In perhaps the biggest upset of the day, giantkiller Vorlícek [17/32] ousted Boy’s Under 19 second seed Mostafa El Serty of Egypt in an absorbing contest that lasted an hour and two minutes: 11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-13. Vorlícek later went on to dispatch local hero [17/32] Josh Owen in another thrilling five-setter: 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5.

CZECH MATE: Ondrej Vorlicek (left) stuns Mostafa El Serty

Another major upset saw El Serty’s compatriot Ismail Mansour [2] fall at the hands of USA’s [17/32] Lachlan Sutton in the Boys’ Under 15s despite a two-nil lead. A close third was claimed by Sutton, who then proceeded to maintain the momentum with victories in the fourth and fifth: 5-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9.

Elsewhere, unseeded Dutchman Rowan Damming, who claimed day one’s major scalp in his defeat of England’s [3/4] Jonah Bryant, could not repeat his Under 15 heroics, going down in straight games to American [33/64] Mukunth Gopalakrishnan: 4-11, 8-11, 1-11.

In contrast to the earlier part of the day, major upsets were lacking as all 18 surviving first and second seeds won in straight games to progress, without undue fuss, to their respective quarter-finals.

Full results can be viewed at www.britishjunioropen.com/draws-results

Pictures by STEVE CUBBINS courtesy of England Squash

 

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