Squash Canada Celebrates Outstanding Performance at the World Junior Squash Championships

Squash Canada proudly announces the exceptional performance of its junior athletes at the recently concluded World Junior Squash Championships held in Houston, USA. The event, which took place from July 12 to 23, saw top junior squash players from around the world compete at the highest level, and our Canadian team showcased remarkable talent and sportsmanship. 

Women’s Individual Event Highlights 

In the women’s event, our athletes displayed resilience and skill throughout their matches: 

• Hermione Cao (R32) faced a tough match against Nour Megahed 3-0 [1-11, 3-11, 6-11].  
• Alyssa Ho (R64), lost out to Fayrouz Abouelkheir, 3-0 [6-11, 4-11, 5-11].  
• Joelle Kim (R64) was bested by Anrie Goh Xhu Yu 3-0 [9-11, 3-11, 6-11].  
• Ocean Ma (R32) was defeated by Riya Navani 3-0 [4-11, 3-11, 10-12]. 
• Spring Ma (R32) faced Malika Elkaraksy, losing out 3-1 [6-11, 11-9, 2-11, 6-11]. 
• Maria Min (R128) just fell short to Valerie Kaitlyn Huang 3-2 [5-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3, 3-11]. 

Men’s Individual Event Highlights 

In the men’s event, our athletes showed great promise and determination: 

• Sam Boulanger (R128) fell short against Abdallah Eissa 3-1 [9-11, 11-9, 5-11, 7-11]. 
• Ewan Harris (R64) was bested by Adham Roshdy 3-1 [10-12, 7-11, 11-5, 4-11].  
• Faazil Khan (R128) lost out to Kun Kim, 0-3 [12-14, 7-11, 10-12].  
• Jacob Lin (R32), lost to Juan Jose Torres Lara, 3-0 [3-11, 4-11, 4-11]. 
• Wasey Maqsood (R32) was defeated by Abdullah Nawaz 3-2 [12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 5-11]. 
• Youssef Sarhan (R32) fell short to Seojin Oh 0-3 [10-12, 2-11, 3-11]. 

Women’s and Men’s Team Event Highlights 

The Men’s Team comprised of Ewan Harris, Faazil Khan, Wasey Maqsood, and Youssef Sarhan, were placed in Group E with Colombia and Guyana. They split the round robin with a loss against Columbia [0-2] and a win against Guyana [2-0]. With a loss in the round of 16 against India [0-2], the men’s team dropped to the 9-16 draw. Dominate wins against New Zealand [2-0] and Japan [3-0] put them in the final of the draw against Malaysia. Fighting hard, the men’s team lost 0-2, finishing the team event in 10th place.  

The Women’s Team event saw history be made by Hermione Cao, Ocean Ma, Spring Ma and Maria Min. The women were placed in Group C with South Africa, Scotland and Malaysia. The team lost to Malaysia [0-2], but strong wins against South Africa [2-0] and Scotland [2-0] qualified them for the quarter finals. The women’s team dominated against Hong Kong [2-0] advancing them to the semi-finals for the first time since 1987! The team fought hard but fell in the semi-finals to Egypt [0-2], bringing home a bronze medal for the first time ever!  

“I had an incredible experience at this year’s World Junior Championships in Houston, Texas,” said Maria Min. “Coming third and medaling in the team event was the highlight of the tournament and one of the best moments of my junior career. I am so thankful to everyone who supported Team Canada, and forever grateful to my coaches, Vicky and Jon, and the incredible group of girls who always had my back and cheered the loudest during my matches. This was the perfect way to end my junior career and I am so excited to start my college career next month at the University of Virginia.”   

The World Junior Squash Championships provided invaluable experience for the Canadian players, allowing them to compete against international peers and gain exposure to different playing styles. This experience is crucial for their development and prepares them for future competitions on the global stage. 

For full results, please check the Individual or Team events result pages.