Top seeds remain on track heading into AJC semis

The pathway to claiming the 2024 Australian Junior Championship has opened up for 40 players who won their way through to the semi-finals today at Thornleigh Squash and Fitness Centre in Sydney.

Nine top seeds and nine second seeds are still on track to make it to the final but need to get through the final four clashes on Monday.

UNDER 19
After receiving byes in the opening round, top seeds Joanne Joseph (VIC) and Sarbani Maitra (QLD) are into the final four following their quarter-final victories. There they will meet Dakshyani Muniandy (SA) and Isla Harris (WA) who both took down higher seeded opponents to book their semi-final spots.

The Boy’s Under 19 semi-finals are shaping up as must-watch squash with the cream rising to the top. Top seeds Daniel Marsh (WA) and Thomas Scott (NSW) remain on track for the final, however Australian Junior Open champion Scott needed to overcome determined Queenslander Jack Hansen to book his place in the final four.

Scott will take on 2023 U17 champion and fellow Australian Junior teammate Haider Naqvi on Monday while Marsh takes on Josh Raj after the Queenslander ousted 3/4 seed Jackson Wylie 3-1. 

UNDER 17
Lucy Keogh can lay claim to being the biggest giant-killer of the tournament so far, becoming the first player to oust a number one seed. The Canberra teenager overcame Jade Reynolds (QLD) in the Girls Under 17 quarter-finals and is set for her best result in a major event.

“I wasn’t expecting to do it [defeat the number one seed] so I’m really happy with myself,” said Keogh. “I hope [I can go] pretty far; this is the furthest I’ve come in a national tournament.”

There she will meet fellow 5/8 seed Lilly Wilson (QLD) who also upset a higher-ranked opponent in her quarter-final clash. After taking the first game, Wilson then fell behind Maeghan Wang (NSW) 2-1 but stormed back to drop just 10 more points and book her place in the semis.

“I just had to keep calm - I know whenever I’m down in a match I just have to keep calm otherwise it’s not going to go well,” said Wilson. “I’ve been working on that lately.”

Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW) is the third 5/8 seed in the semi-finals after taking down Victorian 3/4 seed Shenuki Silva. She now takes on second seed Amelia Brigden (NSW) with the pair not dropping a game so far in the tournament.

Three of the top four seeds in the Boys Under 17s have made it through to the semi-finals with NSW trio Kasper Cheung, Connor Haberecht and Stanley Chung all book their place in Monday’s draw. Chung will play second seed Haberecht while top seed Cheung meets WA’s Aiden Finlay-Mulligan who is the lowest ranked player in any division to make it to this year’s AJC semi-finals.

UNDER 15
The top four seeds in the Girls Under 15 division enter the semi-finals in ominous form, with the quartet dropping just one of 25 games in the first two rounds. Top seeds Tina Ma (VIC) and Emilia Scott (NSW) are both on track to meet in the final, but to do so will each need to get past one of South Australia’s van Zon twins, with Ma set to face Olivia while Scott is up against Nadia on Monday.

Thomas Wang (NSW) scored one of the upsets of the tournament in his round of 16 clash, taking down Kaveen Kohombange (NSW) in a titanic match. After dropping the first two games, Kohombange came back to level up the match and was ahead by six points in the fifth before Wang reeled of eight of the last nine points to proceed to a quarter-final contest with top seed Joel Raj.

That contest however was one-way traffic with Raj getting the better of Wang, and he’ll now face Canberra’s Josh Markham for a place in the final.

After his win, Raj said as number one seed he has tried to remain focused knowing the rest of the field is coming for him.

“I’ve had a couple targets on my back, so I’ve just got to keep pushing out, playing 100% every rally, every match - going for the win every game,” he said. “It should be a pretty good game [against Markham in the semis]; he’s playing some solid squash recently so just got to be on top of my game to make sure I win that one, get to the finals.”

The other semi-final will see South Australia’s Bryce Correa face second seed Henry Kross with the pair taking a perfect nine-from-nine game record through the opening three rounds.

“It’s always a good start to start off with three wins, with three tough competitors,” said Kross. “Hopefully I can keep going well until I’m in the final.

“Rest up tonight, refuel, get my energy back and restart tomorrow like always - come out with confidence.” 

UNDER 13
Cleo Poulava (NSW) and Timonaliz Alarcos-Kriebisch (QLD) remain on a collision course for a match-up in the U13 Girls Final however they will need to overcome opponents who are clearly in good form. Yashica Jiwa Mohan (VIC) overcame 3/4 seed Riyo Kawabata (QLD) in four games in her quarter-final while Elizabeth Wang (NSW) dropped the opening game before coming back to defeat Canberra’s 3/4 seed Gizele Josifoski.

Queensland’s Grayson Coleman has defied the rankings to be the only player seeded outside the top four to make it into the Under 13 boys semi-finals. After taking down a 5/8 seed yesterday, Coleman defeated second seed James Sanders (SA) 3-0 on Sunday to set-up a final four clash with Kai Dumbleton (QLD). In the other semi-final, top seed Benjamin Boardman (NSW) will face Levi Moxey (QLD) after both players were successful in their quarter-finals.

UNDER 11
The Under 11 Girls draw has held true to form with the top four seeds making it through to the semi-finals. Abbey Boswell (QLD), Meriam Ibrahim (VIC) and Preesha Dev (QLD) all went through in three games while Samiya Sanghera had to fight harder, pushing on from 1-1 to narrowly claim the third and then confidently take the match in the fourth game. 

Freddie Goldsmith (VIC) and Joshua Gailer Castellanos (QLD) have both upset 3/4 seeds to take move through to Monday’s semi-finals. There they will meet top seeds Aleister Loo (VIC) and Body Wratten (NSW) who claimed their quarter-finals after resting through a bye on the opening day of competition.

2024 AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thornleigh Squash & Fitness Centre
Monday 30 September - Semi-Finals

Under 11 Girls
9am AEST Court 2 - [1] Abbey Boswell (QLD) v [3/4] Preesha Dev (QLD)
9am AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Samiya Sanghera (NSW) v [2] Meriam Ibrahim (VIC)

Under 11 Boys
9:30am AEST Court 2 - [1] Aleister Loo (VIC) v [5/8] Freddie Goldsmith (VIC)
9:30am AEST Court 8 - Joshua Gailer Castellanos (QLD) v [2] Bodhi Wratten (NSW)

Under 13 Girls
3pm AEST Court 2 - [1] Cleo Poulava (NSW) v Yashica Jiwa Mohan (VIC)
3pm AEST Court 8 - Elizabeth Wang (NSW) v [2] Timonaliz Alarcos-Kriebisch (QLD)

Under 13 Boys
12:30pm AEST Court 2 - [1] Benjamin Boardman (NSW) v [3/4] Levi Moxey (QLD)
12:30pm AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Kai Dumbleton (QLD) v Grayson Coleman (QLD)

Under 15 Girls
1pm AEST Court 2 - [1] Tina Ma (VIC) v [3/4] Olivia van Zon (SA)
1pm AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Nadia van Zon (SA) v [2] Emilia Scott (NSW)

Under 15 Boys
2:30pm AEST Court 2 - [1] Joel Raj (QLD) v [3/4] Josh Markham (ACT)
2:30pm AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Bryce Correa (SA) v [2] Henry Kross (NSW)

Under 17 Girls
2pm AEST Court 2 - Lucy Keogh (ACT) v Lilly Wilson (QLD)
2pm AEST Court 8 - Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW) v [2] Amelia Brigden (NSW)

Under 17 Boys
10:30am AEST Court 2 - [1] Kasper Cheung (NSW) v Aiden Finlay-Mulligan (WA)
10:30am AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Stanley Chung (NSW) v [2] Connor Haberecht (NSW)

Under 19 Girls
1:30pm AEST Court 2 - [1] Joanne Joseph (VIC) v [5/8] Dakshyani Muniandy (SA)
1:30pm AEST Court 8 - Isla Harris (WA) v [2] Sarbani Maitra (QLD)

Under 19 Boys
11:30am AEST Court 2 - [1] Daniel Marsh (WA) v Josh Raj (QLD)
11:30am AEST Court 8 - [3/4] Haider Naqvi (QLD) v [2] Thomas Scott (NSW)