Players announced for 2023 WSF World Junior Squash Championship

The players who will be competing in the individual and team events at the 2023 WSF World Junior Championship have been confirmed.

This year’s World Junior Championship, which will be played in Melbourne Sports Centres (MSAC) between 18-29 July, will feature 245 entries across the men’s individual championship, the women’s individual championship and the women’s team championship.

In the individual championships, Egypt’s Amina Orfi and Netherlands’ Rowan Damming return to defend their titles.

Damming, 18, made history last year in France as the 5/8 seed upset English 3/4 seed Finnlay Withington to become Netherlands’ first ever world junior champion and has since impressed on the PSA World Tour, qualifying for this year’s PSA World Championship in Chicago.

Orfi, 15, showed incredible tenacity as she fought back from two games down in both the semi final and final to lift the title and has since enjoyed a breakout year on the professional circuit, reaching the final of the Squash On Fire Open and the last 16 of the PSA World Championship.

Joining Orfi and Damming are three of last year’s semi finalists. In the men’s draw, Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria and Pakistan’s Hamza Khan return, with Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir – now ranked World No.33 and playing in the Squash World Cup next week – hoping to end a successful season with a major title in the women’s draw.

For the hosts, twelve players will be hoping to deliver a title on home soil, including U19 Oceania champion Oscar Curtis and siblings Dylan and Erin Classen.

Elsewhere, Asian U19 women’s champion Aira Azman of Malaysia, European U19 men’s and women’s champions Jonah Bryant and Asia Harris of England, Oceania U19 women’s champion Ella Lash of New Zealand, and Pan American Junior men’s champion Juan Jose Torres Lara of Colombia will be eager to make their mark on the world stage.

In the women’s team event, which returns after a four-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 14 teams will battle it out for the title. Egypt will be looking to extend their period of dominance by winning an eighth successive Women’s World Junior Team Championship – a run stretching back to 2007 – and have named a strong team of Amina Orfi, Fayrouz Aboelkheir, Nour Megahed and Zeina Zein.

Hong Kong, China, the last non-Egyptian team to win the title, send Ena Kwong, Ka Huen Leung, Sze Wing Wai and Tse Yee Lam Toby.

Scotland, competing for the first time since 2005, will be hoping Anna Halliday, Louisa Kaven, Robyn McAlpine and Rowan Niven can cause an upset.

Hosts Australia, meanwhile, will be represented by Amelie Guziak, Erin Classen, Madison Lyon and Hannah Slyth.

Squad lists, 2023 WSF World Junior Individual Championship

Squad lists, 2023 WSF Women’s World Junior Team Championship

Australia
Erin Classen
Amelie Guziak
Madison Lyon
Hannah Slyth

Canada
Ocean Ma
Spring Ma
Iman Shaheen
Maria Min

Chinese Taipei
Mei Mei Chan
Yu-Chen Cheng
Jen-Ju Shaw
Yen-Chi Chen

Egypt
Amina Orfi
Fayrouz Abouelkheir
Zeina Zein
Nour Megahed

England
Asia Harris
Amelie Haworth
Isabel McCullough
Meha Shah

Hong Kong, China
Ena Kwong
Ka Huen Leung
Sze Wing Wai
Tse Yee Lam Toby

India
Yuvna Gupta
Pooja Arthi Raghu
Anahat Singh
Tiana Parasrampuria

Ireland
Lydia McQuillan
Maria Protsepova
Sarah Sabry
Sophie Thomas

Malaysia
Aira Azman
Sehveetrraa Kumar
Thanusaa Uthrian
Whitney Wilson

New Zealand
Sophie Hodges
Ella Lash
Anne Leakey
Anabel Romero Gemmell

Scotland
Anna Halliday
Louisa Kaven
Robyn McAlpine
Rowan Niven

Singapore
Wai Iynn Au Yeong
Gracia Chua Rui En
Paige Teresa Hill
Zhe Sim Ong

South Africa
Elske Garbers
Savannah Margot Ingledew
Jordin Phillips
Dené Van Zyl

USA
Caroline Fouts
Madison Ho
Emma Trauber
Riya Navani