The 2024 U.S. Junior Open Squash Championships–the world’s largest individual squash tournament with 1,007 players representing fifty-one nations–saw just three nations earn titles as Egypt, the United States and Pakistan shared the spoils Tuesday, December 17, at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
View all results on the U.S. Junior Open tournament page. Live stream replays will be available December 18 on the US Squash Youtube Channel. Tournament photography will be available on the US Squash Smugmug page in the coming days.
For the first time in the tournament’s thirty-five-year history, Egypt claimed both of the U19 titles as Marwan Assal, the 2023 BU17 champion, and Barb Sameh fulfilled their top seedings.
The boys’ U19 draw saw the top two seeds both prevail in tight five-game semifinals. Argentina’s two seed Segundo Portabales pulled off two five-game comebacks from 2-0 down in the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach his first U.S. Junior Open final, and after going down 2-0 against Assal in the final, showed signs of another comeback by winning the third game. Assal thwarted any hopes of another comeback in the fourth game as the Egyptian captured the title 11-4, 14-12, 4-11, 11-5 in fifty-minutes.
Making her U.S. Junior Open debut, Sameh dropped just one game on her way to the GU19 title, defeating American six seed Charlotte Pastel a commanding final performance 11-4, 11-2, 11-9.
Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem was the only repeat champion as the GU17 top seed successfully defended her title. Salem held off a tough challenge from 2023 GU15 champion and three seed Charlotte Sze to win the title 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-2.
The BU17 final came down to U.S. four seed Aiden Chiang and Egyptian three seed Michael Fayez. After winning his semifinal coming back from 2-0 down, Fayez pulled off another five-game comeback in the final to clinch the title 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 in sixty-three minutes.
The U15 divisions produced two all-American finals and two first-time U.S. Junior Open champions as neither top seed reached the final. GU15 two seed Isabella Tang defeated four seed and 2023 GU13 champion Vivienne Sze 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3. BU15 four seed John-Jayden Luo was the lowest-seeded player to win a title as the New Jersey native defeated Californian three seed Vivaan Mehta 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7.
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Ali upset Egypt’s top seed Linda Elsayed in a close GU13 final 11-8, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6. Egyptian BU13 two seed Malek Ahmed edged his top-seeded compatriot Adam Ragab in a five-game final 4-11, 11-9, 11-2, 5-11, 11-3.
The GU11 division produced another five-game final between the American top two seeds. Two seed Alice Wang came back to defeat top seed Ariana Valerio 3-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 13-11. Pakistan’s BU11 top seed pulled off a perfect title run without dropping a game all tournament, defeating American two seed Archibald Anolik in the final 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.
