After an epic week of squash in Houston, it’s finals day of the 2024 WSF World Junior Squash Championships.
The championship matches take place at 13:30 (GMT-5), beginning with the women’s final between Egyptians Amina Orfi and Fayrouz Aboelkheir, followed by the men’s final between Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria and Republic of Korea’s Joo Young Na.
All the action will be streamed live and free on WORLDSQUASH.TV. Consolation finals are taking place from 10:00 and can also be accessed via WORLDSQUASH.TV.
In the women’s final, Amina Orfi has the opportunity to do something no player has ever done. A victory today would make her the first ever player to win three consecutive WSF World Junior Championship titles, as well as drawing her level with the record total won by national legend Nour El Sherbini (2009, 2012, 2013).
Standing between Orfi and history is compatriot Fayrouz Aboelkheir, whose 3-0 victory over USA’s Caroline Fouts in the semi-final last night ensured an all-Egyptian final after the 10-year run was broken last year.
Both Aboelkheir and Orfi have looked a cut above the rest of the competition during hugely impressive runs to the final, with neither player dropping a game so far. Orfi, though, goes into the match with form on her side. In the five matches the two have contested, Orfi has emerged victorious in every single one, though not without being pushed hard in a number of those, most notably when she came from 0-2 down to win 3-2 in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Juniors.
With three of the five matches between them going the distance, expect no quarter to be given today.
The men’s final features Egyptian top seed Mohamad Zakaria and Republic of Korea’s [9/16] seed Joo Young Na.
Zakaria goes into today’s clash the firm favourite, with the 16-year-old cruising through the competition without dropping a game as he aims to become the youngest ever World Junior Champion.
Despite his top billing, the Alexandrian – a beaten finalist last year – stated last night that the hard work was far from done and that he was wary of the threat posed by Na in what will be their first ever match against each other.
Zakaria’s caution is perhaps wise, given Na’s incredible run through the tournament and knack for pulling off unlikely victories. The [9/16] seed, who saw record after record tumble in Houston by becoming the first Korean to reach the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the World Juniors, is the lowest seeded player to reach the final since Omar Elatmas, who reached the final of the 2014 edition in Windhoek, Namibia as [9/16] seed.
Chief among Na’s performances this week have been his victory over reigning champion Hamza Khan in the quarter-final, and his win after being 0-2 down against Harith Danial in the semi-final.
Click here to view the day’s schedule for all courts.
The 2024 WSF World Junior Squash Championships are taking place at Houston Squash Club, Texas, from 12-23 July. Find all the key information here.
Keep up with all the action at wsfworldjuniors.com.
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