PHOTOS
[1] Amina Orfi 3-1 [3/4] Malak Khagafy 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3
[3/4] Aira Azman (Mas) 3-0 [2] Fayrouz Aboelkheir 12-10, 11-7, 11-8[3/4] Mohamed Zakariah 3-0 [5/8] Salman Khalil 11-7, 11-6, 11-6
[3/4] Hamza Khan (Pak) 3-2 [9/16] Melvil Scianimanico (Fra) 11-8, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 13-11
WSF reports
History was made at the WSF World Junior Squash Championships as Malaysia’s Aira Azman, Egypt’s Amina Orfi, Pakistan’s Hamza Khan and Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria reached the final in Melbourne.
In the opening match of the day at the Melbourne Sports Centres, [3/4] seed Aira Azman became the first Malaysian woman to reach the final since the great Nicol David in 2001 and the first non-Egyptian since 2010 thanks to a dominant upset win over No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir.
That win for Azman meant that there will be a women’s final contested by a player from outside of Egypt for the first time since in Cologne in 2010, when USA’s Amanda Sobhy beat Nour El Tayeb.
Azman will take on women’s defending champion and top seed Amina Orfi in the final tomorrow after the 16-year-old saw off compatriot Malak Khafagy in a physical encounter.
In the men’s draw, there was more history made as Hamza Khan became the first man from Pakistan to reach the final since Aamir Atlas Khan 15 years ago, after he survived a match ball in a gripping encounter with French [9/16] seed Melvil Scianimanico.
Khan will take on Egyptian [3/4] seed Mohamed Zakaria in the men’s final, with the Cairo native becoming the men’s competition’s youngest-ever finalist after a 3-0 win against compatriot and [5/8] seed Salman Khalil.
Zakaria, aged just 15, put in a dominant display as he sent out Khalil, who the day before had shocked top seed Jonah Bryant. While Zakaria lacked the pace and power of the 18-year-old, he possesses a deft touch and great tactical understanding, which proved the difference as he took down Khalil in straight games.
