Colombia’s Knudsen Progresses In World Junior Championships

Colombian outsider Matias Knudsen battled through to the last 16 of the Men’s World Junior Individual Championships after the 17-year-old saw off Pakistan’s World No.482 Abbas Zeb in five games at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Knudsen, who is coached by New Zealand’s former World No.38 Martin Knight, claimed the biggest scalp on day one after he saw off seeded player Mansoor Zaman Jr. and he will look to become the first Colombian ever to reach the quarter-finals when he takes on second seed Mohammad Alsarraj in the next round.

“I was 2-0 and 10-7 down yesterday, and today I was 10-7 up in the third and it was very hard to finish,” said Knudsen.

“I’m so excited to be in the last sixteen – this is my third World Juniors, I’m getting further each time and I still have one more to go.”

There was a further upset in the men’s draw when Egypt’s unseeded Aly Hussein, a World Junior Championship debutant, despatched Roman Allinckx, a 9/16 seed from Switzerland, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 in 48 minutes.

The Cairo-born 17-year-old, part of a five-strong Egyptian contingent through to the men’s last 16, will need to overcome India’s 5/8 seed Adhitya Raghavan to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Jana Shiha produced the standout upset in the women’s event after ousting 18-year-old Akanksha Salunkhe, a 9/16 seed from India.

The Alexandrian’s 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 victory in just 16 minutes takes Shiha through to the last 16 where she will face compatriot Rowan Reda Araby, the 2016 runner-up, who beat Canada’s Nicole Kendall.

Elsewhere, top seed Hania El Hammamy – ranked at No.35 on the PSA Women’s World Rankings – eased past Hong Kong’s Ka Wing Ho in straight games, but it was a different story for her compatriot, Nada Abbas, who was taken all the way to five.

Abbas claimed one of the biggest scalps of last season with her victory over World No.5 Nouran Gohar in March’s British Open, but the 17-year-old from Giza was forced to come back from 2-1 down to beat India’s Aishwarya Bhattacharya.

The third round of action also saw home interest extinguished after Kaitlyn Watts and Anika Johnson fell to Chan Yiwen and Sivasangari Subramaniam, respectively, while Finn Tremble lost out to Adam Corcoran in the men’s event.

Results – Third Round: 2017 Men’s World Junior Individual Championships
[1] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) bt Ronald Palomino (COL) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (26m)
[9/16] Ong Sai Hung (MAS) bt Ahmed Elmashad (EGY) 3-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-4 (46m)
[9/16] Tom Walsh (ENG) bt Nicholas Calvert (AUS) 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (22m)
[5/8] Andrew Douglas (USA) bt Sanjay Jeeva (BEL) 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (38m)
[5/8] Abhay Singh (IND) bt Harrison Gill (USA) 11-6, 11-3, 14-12 (38m)
[9/16] Mohamed Elshamy (EGY) bt Cole Becker (USA) 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10 (41m)
[9/16] Adam Corcoran (ENG) bt Finn Trimble (NZL) 11-4, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7 (59m)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek (EGY) bt Yash Fadte (IND) 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (25m)
[3/4] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Shahrul Izham Nurhaqiem (MAS) 11-4, 11-3, 11-4 (21m)
[9/16] Darren Rahul Pragasam (MAS) bt Tiber Worth (USA) 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8 (46m)
Aly Hussein (EGY) bt [9/16] Roman Allinckx (SUI) 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (48m)
[5/8] Adhitya Raghavan (IND) bt In Woo Lee (KOR) 11-5, 11-6, 4-11, 11-9 (50m)
[5/8] Kyle Finch (ENG) bt Hafiz Zhafri (MAS) 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (24m)
[9/16] Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Inaki de Larrauri (COL) 11-1, 11-4, 11-7 (24m)
Matias Knudsen (COL) bt Abbas Zeb (PAK) 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9 (54m)
[2] Mohammad Al Sarraj (JOR) bt Salim Khan (USA) 11-7, 11-9, 12-10 (35m)

Draw – Fourth Round
[1] Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) v [9/16] Ong Sai Hung (MAS)
[5/8] Andrew Douglas (USA) v [9/16] Tom Walsh (ENG)
[5/8] Abhay Singh (IND) v [9/16] Mohamed Elshamy (EGY)
[3/4] Marwan Tarek (EGY) v [9/16] Adam Corcoran (ENG)
[3/4] Victor Crouin (FRA) v [9/16] Darren Rahul Pragasam (MAS)
[5/8] Adhitya Raghavan (IND) v Aly Hussein (EGY)
[5/8] Kyle Finch (ENG) v [9/16] Mostafa Asal (EGY)
[2] Mohammad Al Sarraj (JOR) v Matias Knudsen (COL)

Results – Third Round: 2017 Women’s World Junior Individual Championships
[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Ka Wing Ho (HKG) 11-4, 11-3, 11-2 (19m)
[9/16] Chan Yiwen (MAS) bt Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 (24m)
[9/16] Zoe Foo Yuk Han (MAS) bt Charlotte Orcutt (CAN) 11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (23m)
[5/8] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Anika Jackson (NZL) 11-4, 11-2, 11-5 (15m)
[5/8] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) bt Saskia Beinhard (GER) 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (18m)
[9/16] Lucy Turmel (ENG) bt Alice Green (ENG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (26m)
[9/16] Marina Stefanoni (USA) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 14-12, 11-8, 11-6 (32m)
[3/4] Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Aishwarya Bhattacharya (IND) 11-4, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby (EGY) bt Nicole Kendall (CAN) 11-1, 11-2, 11-2 (13m)
Jana Shiha (EGY) bt [9/16] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (16m)
[9/16] Elise Lazarus (ENG) bt Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (24m)
[5/8] Andrea Lee (MAS) bt Grace Doyle (USA) 11-5, 11-8, 11-3 (22m)
[5/8] Amina Yousry (EGY) bt Kristýna Fialová (CZE) 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (20m)
[9/16] Lui Hiu Lam (HKG) bt Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (19m)
[9/16] Aifa Azman (MAS) bt Sunayna Kuruvilla (IND) 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (24m)
[2] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Faith Sithole (RSA) 11-6, 11-3, 11-7

Draw – Fourth Round
[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [9/16] Chan Yiwen (MAS)
[5/8] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [9/16] Zoe Foo Yuk Han (MAS)
[5/8] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) v [9/16] Lucy Turmel (ENG)
[3/4] Nada Abbas (EGY) v [9/16] Marina Stefanoni (USA)
[3/4] Rowan Reda Araby (EGY) v Jana Shiha (EGY)
[5/8] Andrea Lee (MAS) v [9/16] Elise Lazarus (ENG)
[5/8] Amina Yousry (EGY) v [9/16] Lui Hiu Lam (HKG)
[2] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) v [9/16] Aifa Azman (MAS)