Wai Sze Wing provided the shock of the tournament at the World Junior Squash Championships, while the top seeds continued their progress and the last home hopes bowed out.
The Hong Kong, China native looked in trouble on Court Six at the Melbourne Sports Centres when English [5/8] seed Asia Harris took the opening game 11-6, but hit back to move into the lead with a tense pair of 11-9 wins.
Harris forced the match into a fifth game with an 11-7 victory in game four, but, in a nail-biting tie-break, it was Wai who held her nerve as she edged the gripping contest 12-10 to set up a last-16 clash with French [9/16] seed Lauren Baltayan, who beat Germany’s Maya Weishar 3-1.
After her match, Wai said: “I feel excited about that. This is my first time going into the top 16 and I didn’t think I could make it. I won from deuce in my last match, too, and I’m just so excited now!
“I just told myself to play and don’t think about winning.”
While Wai’s win was the day’s biggest surprise, she was far from the only player to upset a seeded opponent, with three [9/16] seeds crashing out to unseeded players, all on the traditional courts.
First, Wai’s compatriot Ka Huen Leung downed England’s Amelie Haworth, then USA’s Varun Chitturi upset Ireland’s Dylan Moran, before Colombia’s Jose Santamaria got the better of India’s Krishna Mishra.
Ecuador’s Javier Emilio Romo Lopez came close to adding one more upset when he had match ball against USA’s [9/16] seed Hollis Robertson, but he was eventually pipped in a tense tie-break in the fifth game.
To the disappointment of the home crowd, there were no upsets on the glass court, with unseeded duo Oscar Curtis and Madison Lyon losing out to Malaysian [5/8] seed Joachim Chuah and Egyptian [9/16] seed Nadien Elhammamy to end home hopes.
Joining Chuah and Elhammamy in the next round are all of the top seeds, with defending women’s champion and No.1 seed Amina Orfi of Egypt beating Canada’s Ocean Ma, her compatriot and women’s No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir beating Malaysia’s Whitney Wilson, men’s No.1 seed Jonah Bryant of England beating USA’s Zane Patel and men’s No.2 seed and defending champion Rowan Damming of the Netherlands beating Malaysia’s Harith Danial.
Results: 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championships – Men’s RD3
[1] Jonah Bryant (ENG) bt Zane Patel (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-5[9/16] Yassein Shohdy (EGY) bt Juan Irisarri (COL) 3-1: 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6
[9/16] Rishi Srivastava (USA) bt Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim (PAK) 3-2: 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9
[5/8] Salman Khalil (EGY) bt Titouan Isambard (FRA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-7
[5/8] Juan Jose Torres (COL) bt Low Wa Sern (MAS) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-3
[9/16] Omar Said Sobhy (EGY) bt Paarth Ambani (IND) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
Varun Chitturi (USA) bt [9/16] Dylan Moran (IRL) 3-2: 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2
[3/4] Mohamed Zakaria (EGY) bt Shaurya Bawa (IND) 3-0: 11-2, 11-9, 11-5
[3/4] Hamza Khan (PAK) bt Sam Gerrits (NED) 3-1: 10-12, 11-6, 11-3, 11-7
José Santamaria (COL) bt [9/16] Krishna Mishra (IND) 3-2: 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7
[9/16] Kareem El Torkey (EGY) bt Jacob Lin (CAN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-6
[5/8] Joachim Chuah (MAS) bt Oscar Curtis (AUS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 13-11
[5/8] David Bernet (SUI) bt Caleb Boy (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-4
[9/16] Melvil Scianimanico (FRA) bt Yehia Abouraya (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 5-11, 11-1, 12-10
[9/16] Hollis Robertson (USA) bt Javier Emilio Romo Lopez (ECU) 3-2: 11-9, 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10
[2] Rowan Damming (NED) bt Harith Danial (MAS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
Results: 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championships – Women’s RD3
[1] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt Ocean Ma (CAN) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-1[9/16] Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS) bt Sophie Hodges (NZL) 3-0: 11-2, 12-10, 12-10
[9/16] Madison Ho (USA) bt Ella Lash (NZL) 3-0: 12-10, 11-4, 11-7
[5/8] Zeina Zein (EGY) bt Emma Trauber (USA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
[5/8] Anahat Singh (IND) bt Kwong Ena (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-2
[9/16] Nadien Elhammamy (EGY) bt Madison Lyon (AUS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-8
[9/16] Riya Navani (USA) bt Iman Shaheen (CAN) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-5
[3/4] Malak Khafagy (EGY) bt Sonya Sasson (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 14-12, 11-4
[3/4] Aira Azman (MAS) bt Caroline Eielson (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 11-1, 11-7
Leung Ka Huen (HKG) bt [9/16] Amelie Haworth (ENG) 3-1: 7-11, 11-2, 11-6, 12-10
[9/16] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) bt Maya Weishar (GER) 3-1: 11-2, 11-4, 5-11, 11-6
Wai Sze Wing (HKG) bt [5/8] Asia Harris (ENG) 3-2: 6-11, 11-9. 11-9, 7-11, 12-10
[5/8] Caroline Fouts (USA) bt Thanusaa Uthrian (MAS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-2
[9/16] Savannah Ingledew (RSA) bt Tiana Parasrampuria (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
[9/16] Nour Megahed (EGY) bt Toby Tse (HKG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-8, 11-5
[2] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt Whitney Wilson (MAS) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
Draw: 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championships – Men’s Round of 16
[1] Jonah Bryant (ENG) v Yassein Shohdy (EGY)
[5/8] Salman Khalil (EGY) v [9/16] Rishi Srivastava (USA)
[5/8] Juan Jose Torres (COL) v [9/16] Omar Said Sobhy (EGY)
[3/4] Mohamed Zakaria (EGY) v Varun Chitturi (USA)
[3/4] Hamza Khan (PAK) v José Santamaria (COL)
[5/8] Joachim Chuah (MAS) v [9/16] Kareem El Torkey (EGY)
[5/8] David Bernet (SUI) v [9/16] Melvil Scianimanico (FRA)
[2] Rowan Damming (NED) v [9/16] Hollis Robertson (USA)
Draw: 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championships – Women’s Round of 16
[1] Amina Orfi (EGY) v [9/16] Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS)
[5/8] Zeina Zein (EGY) v [9/16] Madison Ho (USA)
[5/8] Anahat Singh (IND) v [9/16] Nadien Elhammamy (EGY)
[3/4] Malak Khafagy (EGY) v [9/16] Riya Navani (USA)
[3/4] Aira Azman (MAS) v Leung Ka Huen (HKG)
[9/16] Lauren Baltayan (FRA) v Wai Sze Wing (HKG)
[5/8] Caroline Fouts (USA) v [9/16] Savannah Ingledew (RSA)
[2] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) v [9/16] Nour Megahed (EGY)