MALAYSIA’S Harith Danial upset the odds on day three of the WSF World Junior Squash Championships with a sublime performance as he beat (3/4) seed Juan Torres of Colombia at Houston Squash Club.
Torres went into the match heavily favoured, but struggled to break down the (9/16) seed in the opener, with Danial finding his range well and fending off Torres’ attacks to take the first game 11-4.
The Colombian fought back impressively in the second game to level with an 11-7 win, only to be blown away 11-2 in game three as Danial regained the lead.
There was no let up from the 18-year-old in game four, with Danial covering every inch of court and targeting the back well as he came back from 4-6 down to clinch the match in four games with an 11-7 victory.
Danial will face fellow (9/16) seed Abdallah Eissa in the quarterfinals after the Englishman recorded a surprise win of his own, taking down (5/8) seed Javier Romo of Ecuador in straight games.
Afterwards, Danial said: “I’m a little speechless right now. I think I played well today and I knew it was going to be a very long match so I’m happy to be through in four, and happy with my performance, and to go through with my teammate Low Wa-Sern (who beat Egypt’s Adham Roshdy to progress).
Joining Danial and Eissa in upsetting the odds was Pakistan’s Abdullah Nawaz, who battled back from a game down to shock Egyptian (5/8) seed Omar Azzam.
There was also a moment of history made when Republic of Korea’s Joo Young Na overcame compatriot Seojin Oh to become his country’s first ever representative in a WSF World Junior Championship quarterfinal.
In the women’s draw, it was a more comfortable affair for the favourites, with every match going to seedings.
In a fiery encounter, (5/8) seed Nour Megahed overcame a spirited challenge from Hong Kong, China’s (9/16) seed Ena Kwong to record an 11-2, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6 victory. USA’s Riya Navani, too, was pushed hard, with the (5/8) seed digging in after falling behind to (9/16 seed) Thanusaa Uthrian, eventually recording a 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 win to earn a match with No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir, who decimated French (9/16) seed Lauren Baltayan 11-2, 11-3, 11-2.
Joining Navani in the last eight is US compatriot and (3/4) seed Caroline Fouts. The 18-year-old, who has looked dominant so far in Houston, was in excellent form once again as she cruised past Malaysian (9/16) seed Whitney Wilson to maintain her her record of not dropping any games.
Fouts will take on Janna Swaify in the next round after the 16-year-old Egyptian overcame England’s Amelie Haworth 3-0.
The 2024 WSF World Junior Squash Championships resumes with the quarterfinals tomorrow, 15 July. The quarterfinals begin at 12:30 (GMT-5), while placing matches take place from 10:00. Head to WORLDSQUASH.TV to watch all the action live and free.
Click here to view all the results from day three of the WSF World Junior Squash Championships.
