Egypt continued to underline their dominance across the sport after seven of eight men and women spots for the World Junior Championships semi-finals were filled by players from the powerhouse nation.
It didn’t come without the odd tense moment, however. Egypt’s Marwan Assal [3/4] booked his place into the last four in an epic battle against France’s Amir Khaled-Jousselin [5/8].
Assal, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, was hoping for a comfortable victory to progress to the next round of the World Squash Junior Championships – and that looked to be the case when he claimed the first 11-7.
Despite taking the opener, the celebrations stopped for Assal as Khaled-Jousselin was able to win back-to-back games and storm into the lead, winning both 11-7.
Nonetheless, this didn’t seem to faze the 3/4 seed, as he was able to bounce back, winning the fourth game 11-6. However, a momentum shift wasn’t immediate for Assal after levelling the scoreline, as he would go 3-6 down in the fifth.
And with an exit looming for the 2025 World Junior finalist, he was able to recover this deficit after the break in play, due to a shoulder injury, as he powered his way to victory, winning the fifth 11-7.
“Amir is a good player, I’ve played him at the British U15 Open,” Assal said after his match.
“He’s such a great player and it was a very good match today. I’m looking forward to the next one. [After the injury break] I got back in my mind and played some good squash. I thought to myself, ‘6-3, it’s fine!’
“I pushed and gave 100 percent effort and am glad to get this win.”
Assal will be joined by his compatriot and No.2 seed Ruqayya Salem, who progressed after a tough contest against Malaysia’s Whitney Wilson [9/12] – with the match being stretched across five games.
Despite the win for Salem, it was an uphill battle from the beginning, Wilson making the quicker start, winning the opener 11-4. Salem was able to recover the contest, claiming the second 11-5, but that wasn’t without a challenge from the Malaysian, who was determined to cause an upset, as she took the third 11-8.
With tension rising, Salem was able to rise above the on-court pressure as she was able to fight back into the quarter-final bout, levelling the scores for the second time, winning 11-9.
And with momentum in her favour, Salem was able to stay in the driver’s seat of the contest, claiming the fifth 11-7 and punching her ticket into the last four.
Elsewhere, Seifeldin Refaay [3/4] progressed following a straight-game victory over Maddox Moxham, which will see him take on the No.1 seed and fellow countryman Mohamad Zakaria, in what promises to be an exciting contest.
Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, the No.1 seed Anahat Singh became the sole survivor against the wave of Egyptian stars, as she overcame 16-year-old Habiba Rizk in four games.
And Egypt’s Barb Sameh and Malika Elkaraksy progressed after straight-game victories over Helen Tang of Hong Kong, China and Belgium’s Savannah Moxham, while Egypt’s No.2 seed Adam Hawal progressed with a 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Alnasfan.
World Squash Junior Individual Championships – Quarter-final Women’s Results
[1] Anahat Singh (IND) bt [5/8] Habiba Rizk (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9
[3/4] Barb Sameh (EGY) bt [5/8] Helen Tang (HKG) 3-0: 11-1, 11-9, 11-7
[2] Ruqayya Salem (EGY) bt [9/12] Whitney Wilson (MAS) 3-2: 4-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7
[3/4] Malika Elkaraksy (EGY) bt [5/8] Savannah Moxham (BEL) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-5
World Squash Junior Individual Championships – Quarter-final Men’s Results
[1] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) bt [9/12] Yaseen Shalaby (USA) 3-0:11-0, 11-7, 11-4
[3/4] Seifeldin Refaay (EGY) bt [9/12] Maddox Moxham (BEL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-9
[2] Adam Hawal (EGY) bt [9/12] Mohammed Alnasfan (KSA) 3-1: 11-2, 10-12, 11-3, 11-3
[3/4] Marwan Assal (EGY) bt [5/8] Amir Khaled-Jousselin (FRA) 3-2: 11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7