Hamza to defend his WSF World Jr Squash Championships title

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s Hamza Khan will defend his title as the world’s top squash players descend on Houston, USA in July for the 2024 WSF World Junior Championships.

Nearly 250 of the world’s best junior squash players will participate in the championships, which will be held at the Houston Squash Club from July 12-23.

The championships will include individual events for men’s and women’s draws and, for the first time in the history of the World Juniors, simultaneous men’s and women’s team events, with a total of 248 athletes aged 18 and under competing in the four events. Press release.

Among the star names confirmed for this year’s World Juniors are Egypt’s 16-year-old Amina Orfi, who has won the last two editions and has already reached world No.11 on the professional circuit, compatriot and world No.16 Fayrouz Aboelkheir, Indian Asian U17 champion Anahat Singh, England U19 European champion Amelie Haworth and New Zealand Oceania U19 champion Ella Lash.

In the men’s draw, Pakistan’s Hamza Khan returns to defend his title, with Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria, who lost to Khan in last year’s final, Colombia’s U19 All-American champion Juan Torres and Egypt’s Marwan Assal – his younger brother former world No.1 and two-time World Junior Champion Mostafa Asal – among those accompanying him.

Hosts USA, meanwhile, have named a 12-man squad as they seek their first junior individual title since Amanda Sobhy won in 2010 in Cologne, Germany. Among the contenders for medals in the women’s draw are world No. 63 Caroline Fouts and U19 Pan American champion Samantha Jaffe, while U19 Pan American bronze medalist Alexander Dartnell and U19 USA Rishi Srivastava will aim for home wins in men.

In the group events, which featured a record 42 teams, defending women’s champions Egypt – winners of the last eight editions – fielded a strong squad with three of last year’s winners returning in Fayrouz Aboelkheir, Amina Orfi and Nadien Elhammamy. by Janna Galal.

Defending men’s champions England, meanwhile, have a completely new squad in the one that defeated Egypt in Nancy, France in 2022, with Abdallah Eissa, Bailey Malik, Dylan Roberts and Yusuf Sheikh set to claim a sixth men’s title for their country.

Hosts USA will be represented by Alexander Dartnell, Zane Patel, Rishi Srivastava and Rustin Wiser in the men’s team event and Caroline Fouts, Dixon Hill, Samantha Jaffe and Riya Navani in the women’s.

This year’s event will also see debuts for the Philippines and Macau, China, with both Confederations sending a men’s team for the first time.