Qatar is set to host an historic World Squash Federation event this month when the Doha WSF World Junior Squash Championships take place at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in the country’s capital Dohafrom 7-18 July.
Players from 29 countries will initially do battle in the men’s and women’s individual championships (from 7-12 July), which will be followed by the biennial Men’s World Junior Team Championship.
The individual titles are expected to remain in Egyptian hands – with Marwan El Shorbagy seeded to retain the men’s title and secure the same extraordinary ‘double’ that his brother managed for a record fourth time for the El Shorbagy family name.
It was in India that Marwan’s older brother Mohamed El Shorbagy clinched the crown for the second year in a row in 2009 – becoming only the second player in the event’s history to win the title twice.
England’s reigning world number one James Willstrop was the last non-Egyptian to win men’s world junior title – ten years ago, in 2002! Since then, Ramy Ashour (2004 & 2006), Mohamed El Shorbagy (2008 & 2009), Amr Khaled Khalifa (2010) and defending champion Marwan El Shorbagy have kept it firmly in Egyptian hands.
El Shorbagy junior is expected to face Pakistan’s 3/4 seed Danish Atlas Khan in the semi-finals before the predicted all-Egyptian climax against Mohamed Abouelghar, the No2 seed.
Former champion Nour El Sherbini is the hot favourite to reclaim the women’s title. The 16-year-old from Alexandria became the sport’s youngest ever world champion when she won this U19 title in 2009, aged just 13!
With a career-threatening knee injury now well behind her, El Sherbini marked her formidable promise on the world stage again only two months ago in London where she became the youngest player ever to reach the final of the prestigious British Open.
Runner-up last year, El Sherbini will be aiming to reach a record-equalling third world junior final in Doha this year – and then, with further possible appearances in the next two years’ championships, has the potential to rack up a total of four titles!
El Sherbini, now ranked seven in the world, is expected to line up against England’s European Junior champion Emily Whitlock, the No2 seed, in the final.
Full coverage on the event website: www.wsfworldjuniors.com
Men’s 1st round draw:
[1] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bye
Erfan Jamshidi (IRI) v Jose Rodriguez (GUA)
Ricardo Toscano (GUA) v Jonathan Barnett (NZL)
Cameron Seth (CAN) v Alex Roscoe (ZIM)
Richie Fallows (ENG) v Felix Auer (GER)
Yousif Ali (KUW) v Deepak Mishra (IND)
Shahjahan Khan (PAK) v Zachary Millar (NZL)
[9/16] Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) v Kush Kumar (IND)
[9/16] Thomas Ford (ENG) bye
Christian Urruela (GUA) v James Cooper (NZL)
Todd Redman (NZL) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
Taminder Gata-Aura (ENG) v Niklas Becher (GER)
Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG) v Francisco Obregon (ARG)
Cassiano de Jesus Silva (BRA) v Luke Willemse (RSA)
Lucas Wirths (GER) v Ruan Olivier (RSA)
[5/8] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bye
[5/8] Ollie Holland (ENG) bye
Matthew Bridle (AUS) v Edward Columbia (USA)
Jesper Skarman (SWE) v Devin McLaughlin (USA)
Yousif Nizar Saleh (KUW) v Abdulwahab Al-Ishaq (QAT)
Ryosei Kobayashi (JPN) v Liam McClintock (USA)
Blessing Muhwate (ZIM) v Vivek Dinodia (IND)
Yeung Ho Wai (HKG) v Bjorn Angtoft (SWE)
[9/16] Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) v Ryunosuke Tsukue (JPN)
[9/16] Abhishek Pradhan (IND) v Mateo Vargas (COL)
Eissa Eshkanani (KUW) v Manuel Wanner (SUI)
Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) v Sadam Mehawesh (QAT)
Peter Dylan Murray (USA) v Faisal Al-Marri (QAT)
Josimar Silva (BRA) v Jordy Camps (BEL)
Thomas Dembinski (USA) v Remo Handl (SUI)
Mason Ripka (USA) v Andre Ergenz (GER)
[3/4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bye
[3/4] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) bye
Khaled Al-Jenaidel (KUW) v Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
Rohan Toole (AUS) v Tyler Olson (CAN)
Rhys Dowling (AUS) v Rodrigo Obregon (ARG)
Ahmed Abdel Khalek (EGY) v Abdulla Al-Mass (QAT)
Rui Soares (POR) v Tyler Lee (CAN)
Jaakko Vahamaa (FIN) v Vincent Hitchins (BEL)
[9/16] Damien Volland (FRA) v Ben Grindrod (NZL)
[9/16] Jan van den Herrewegen (BEL) v Mohammed Ferman Hasan (IRQ)
Ho Tze Ho (HKG) v Faisal Assim Khudhair (IRQ)
Josue Enriquez (GUA) v Federico Cioffi (ARG)
Tayyab Aslam (PAK) v Aryan Ahmed (SWE)
Andres Felipe de Frutos (COL) v Abdulrahman Abdelzaher (QAT)
Athbi Khalid Hamad (KUW) v Nicolas Valderrama (COL)
T J Rarere (AUS) v Saifuldeen Ahmed Salman (IRQ)
[5/8] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bye
[5/8] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bye
Zachary Leman (CAN) v Rodrigo Arreaga (GUA)
Thomas Calvert (AUS) v Nell van der Merwe (RSA)
Matthew Sidaway (ENG) v Edgar Ramirez Bautista (COL)
Alexandre Cogno (FRA) v Lyell Fuller (ENG)
Robin Gadola (SUI) v Hasanain Obaid Dakheel (IRQ)
Tomotaka Endo (JPN) v Joshua Sekhar (CAN)
[9/16] Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bye
[9/16] Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) v Simpiwe Gqibane (RSA)
Yannick Lindemann (SUI) v David A Fisher (ZIM)
Gonzalo Gallardo (ARG) v Sohail Shameli (IRI)
Yip Tsz Fung (HKG) v Claudio Pinto (POR)
Vrishab Kotian (IND) v Taiki Kaido (JPN)
Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) v Faisal Hassan (ZIM)
Pedro Veiga (BRA) v Ahmad Abdulrahman Al-Tawari (KUW)
[2] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) byeWomen’s 1st round draw:
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye
Enora Villard (FRA) v Risa Sugimoto (JPN)
Emilia Soini (FIN) bye
[9/16] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
[9/16] Melissa Alves (FRA) bye
Megan Page (RSA) v Harshit Kaur Jawanda (IND)
Camille Lanier (POR) v Lakeesha Rarere (AUS)
[5/8] Maria Elena Ubina (USA) bye
[5/8] Mariam Ibrahim Metwally (EGY) bye
Chu Ka Hei (HKG) v Katie Tutrone (USA)
Laura Viviana Tovar Perez (COL) bye
[9/16] Aparajitha Balamurukan (IND) bye
[9/16] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bye
Caroline Sayegh (GER) bye
Marie Stephan (FRA) v Sachika Ingale (IND)
[3/4] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) bye
[3/4] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bye
Olivia Fiechter (USA) v Winifer Bonilla (GUA)
Choi Uen Shan (HKG) bye
[9/16] Jessica Turnbull (AUS) bye
[9/16] Ho Ka Po (HKG) bye
Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bye
Hannah Williams (ENG) v Oxane Ah-Hu (FRA)
[5/8] Anaka Alankamony (IND) bye
[5/8] Salma Hany Ibrahim Ahmed (EGY) bye
Nikki van der Heijden (NED) v Julie Lee (RSA)
Lakshya Ragavendran (IND) v Reeham Sedky (USA)
[9/16] Julia Lecoq (FRA) bye
[9/16] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bye
Pansy Chan Pui-Hei (HKG) bye
Annika Wiese (GER) v Ana Gabriela Porras (COL)
[2] Emily Whitlock (ENG) bye
