Malaysia\u2019s women\u2019s team reached the final of the World Squash Junior Team Championships for the first time since 2023 after stunning No.2 seeds Hong Kong, China, to set up a showdown with defending champions Egypt in Niagara-on-the-Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The World Squash Junior Championships bring together the world\u2019s best under-19 squash players, with the men\u2019s and women\u2019s individual championships having taken place from July 20\u201325 and the men\u2019s and women\u2019s team championships being contested from July 26\u201331.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With today\u2019s semi-finals played in a 3-1-2 string order, spectators were treated to another thrilling day of high-intensity squash at White Oaks Resort & Spa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the opening tie of the day, Malaysia\u2019s women\u2019s team progressed to tomorrow\u2019s final with a 2-0 victory over Hong Kong, China in a contest packed with drama and tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the opening match, Doyce Ye San Lee edged past Hong Kong, China\u2019s Tsz Ching Cheung in a remarkable five-game battle that saw both players hold five match balls before Lee eventually prevailed 10-12, 11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 21-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With everything still to play for in the second match, Hong Kong, China\u2019s No.1 string Helen Tang faced Malaysia\u2019s Whitney Wilson. Although the contest looked evenly matched on paper, Wilson produced a commanding performance to claim a 3-1 victory and send Malaysia into the final for the first time since 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll I could think about was playing for the three people behind me and the rest of my team,\u201d Doyce Ye San Lee said after the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWithout them I couldn\u2019t do it, and without the team back in Malaysia, I couldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the upset, Malaysia will face defending champions Egypt in a rematch of the 2023 World Squash Junior Team Championships final in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Egypt\u2019s women, who have reached every final since 2003, continued their dominance with a convincing victory over No.3 seeds USA. Leading the charge for Egypt\u2019s 13th consecutive final appearance was Barb Sameh, who defeated Lily Bourell 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 in the opening match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the prospect of adding yet another title to their already impressive trophy cabinet, Ruqayya Salem sealed Egypt\u2019s place in the final with a straight-games victory over Diya Yadav.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, in the men\u2019s draw, the USA advanced to tomorrow\u2019s final after defeating No.5 seeds India 2-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opening match saw Brendan Tagliarini, who was celebrating his 17th birthday, battle back from 2-1 down against India\u2019s Gurveer Singh to give the USA the early lead, winning 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With momentum firmly in the USA\u2019s favour, No.1 string Yaseen Shalaby made a fast start in the second match, sealing both the tie and a place in the final with a 3-0 victory over Aryaveer Dewan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI fought as hard as I could and he pushed me to play my best. I just kept telling myself that I could do it and my coach \u2018Nicky T\u2019 [Nick Taylor] helped push me through it! It feels amazing to clutch it for the team!\u201d said Tagliarini after the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And with Shalaby sealing the tie for the USA, he said: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing, India\u2019s a tough opponent and they upset England yesterday and they have what it takes to show why they\u2019re one of the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just want to say I\u2019m so happy to have this victory with my teammates and friends, as it wouldn\u2019t be possible without them, we all support each other and are a really good team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The USA will now face Egypt in the men\u2019s final, a repeat of the 2025 final in Cairo, Egypt. The defending champions were forced to battle hard against France, who refused to make it easy at any point in the tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the opening match, France\u2019s No.3 string Kousha Moslehi pushed Marwan Assal all the way, refusing to allow the Egyptian any breathing room on the scoreboard. And after Moslehi won the second game, 11-7, it seemed that momentum was beginning to swing in France\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Assal raised his level, growing in confidence with every point, to claim the opening match for Egypt, winning 11-7, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With one foot in the final, Mohamad Zakaria then sealed Egypt\u2019s place in tomorrow\u2019s action with a 3-0 victory over Amir Khaled-Jousselin. Although the match finished in straight games, it was far from one-sided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zakaria, who claimed the opener 11-3, was pushed to the limit in the second game after Khaled-Jousselin built a 10-7 lead. However, Zakaria showed the spirit of a champion as he saved three game balls to clinch the second 12-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intensity continued to rise in the third game, and the French No.1 string refused to back down from the challenge, pushing the Egyptian all the way before Zakaria eventually edged the third game 12-10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Malaysia\u2019s women\u2019s team reached the final of the World Squash Junior Team Championships for the first time since<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[37],"class_list":["post-15217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-squash"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t