11:58 am
3 Dec 2024

Orfi & Zakaria Record Historic World Titles

18 Jul 2024

Egypt enjoyed a perfect day in the conclusion of the individual events of WSF World Junior Squash Championships in Houston, USA, where Amina Orfi won an unprecedented third consecutive title and Mohamed Zakaria became the youngest ever male champion.

Orfi, 17, who won the 2022 edition in France and the 2023 edition in Australia, came into the women's final against compatriot and No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir knowing that a win would not only see her draw level with Egyptian legend Nour El Sherbini's record haul of three titles, but put her in a class of her own as the only player to win three in a row.

The top seed, who like Aboelkheir went into the final in Texas having not dropped a single game, looked edgy early on as Aboelkheir made the brighter start, but eventually settled to take the opener 11-7.

The Cairo teenager then doubled her lead after a mammoth 24-minute second game, with Orfi seeing four game balls saved before eventually converting.

That win put the wind in her sails and, in a fractious third game, she closed out 11-5 to cap a famous victory.

"I still can't believe it!" said Orfi later. "I came into this match expecting a battle; all our past matches were close with tie-breaks. I knew I had to be focused from the beginning and take advantage.

"I'm so happy to win and I'm already looking forward to the team event!"

Men's top seed Zakaria, a beaten finalist last year in Melbourne, went into his clash with Republic of Korea's Jooyoung Na as the firm favourite, with the 16-year-old yet to drop a game during an efficient run.

9/16 seed Na, meanwhile, had defied all expectations to become the first ever Korean to reach the final of a WSF World Championship, with his 3/2 win over defending champion Hamza Khan in the quarter-final sending shockwaves through the tournament.

Zakaria spoke ahead of the match of the danger presented by Na, and his tactics bore that out as the Egyptian played a patient game, attacking only whenever the opportunity presented itself.

This plan proved effective, with Na, who played five games in his semi-final and quarter-final, hitting some spectacular shots but failing to consistently hurt Zakaria.

After taking the first game 11-6, the top seed moved into a commanding lead with an 11-4 win in game two.

Na dug in desperately in game three but could not dislodge Zakaria, with the 16-year-old holding him at arm's length throughout and, after a tense wait on a video referee decision on match ball, clinched the title with another 11-6 win.

Afterwards, Zakaria said: "I've worked all my life for this moment. It's extra special because I have my father and coach here and I'm incredibly proud of the week. But before I say anything I'd like to say how amazing it is for Na to come into this final. I've watched him closely from the beginning and he's improved significantly. He should be very proud to make it to the final.

"Winning it without dropping a game is a statement of how hard I've been working."

That win for Zakaria means he becomes the youngest ever male winner of the championship, eight days younger than previous record holder Jansher Khan in 1986 and 28 days younger than Ramy Ashour, the last 16-year-old to win, in 2004.

For the players, attention turns immediately to the team competition, which begins today (18 July) at Houston Squash Club.

Also receiving medals today were the four semi-finalists, with USA's Caroline Fouts and Egypt's Nadien Elhammamy winning bronze in the women's event and India's Shaurya Bawa - the first Indian to win a medal since 2014 - and Malaysia's Harith Danial winning bronze in the men's event.