Pakistan secured four spots in the finals of the Asian Junior Squash Championship at the Mushaf Sports Complex in Islamabad after a demanding round of semi-finals on Friday.
In Saturday’s finals, Pakistani teammates Huzaifa Shahid and Sohail Adnan will compete for the Boys U-13 title, while Abdullah Nawaz will take on Malaysia’s Nikhileswar Moganasundharam in the U-17 category at the 31st edition of the championship.
Defending world champion Hamza Khan will confront Malaysia’s Harith Danial in the U-19 category.
However, no Pakistani girl advanced to the semi-finals in the tournament, which featured around 200 players from a dozen countries across the U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-19 categories.
Earlier this month, the Ali sisters boosted Pakistan’s medal tally at the PBA 20th Penang Malaysia Junior Open.
Sohail secured a decisive victory over Malaysia’s Muhammad Ifwat Zulkifli, defeating him 11-8, 11-6, 11-2 to advance to the finals.
The Malaysians missed another opportunity in the Boys U-13 final as Huzaifa dominated Julius Tan with scores of 11-2, 11-8, 11-5. Huzaifa has been a dominant force in the global U-13 scene this year, clinching the title at the Australian Junior Open in April.
Pakistan and Malaysia continued their rivalry in the semi-finals as Muhammad Raziq Razi secured his place in the U-15 finals with a comfortable 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 victory over Pakistan’s Abdullah Zaman.
Pakistan’s Nouman Khan started strongly in the other U-15 semi-final with a win over India’s Shiven Agarwal but suffered a defeat with scores of 5-11, 9-11, 0-11, bowing out of the championship.
In the U-17 category, it was another intense Pakistan-Malaysia encounter as Abdullah Nawaz defeated Altamis Aqhar Sallam 11-4, 14-12, 11-6, while Malaysia’s Nikhileswar Moganasundharam retaliated with a comfortable win over Azan Ali, who lost 6-11, 6-11, 8-11.
Hamza Khan displayed his prowess by defeating compatriot M Ammad 11-6, 11-5, 11-0 to secure his place in the finals, where he will face Malaysia’s Harith Danial. Harith advanced to the finals after a thrilling victory over South Korea’s Jooyoung Na, winning 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 12-10.
