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Dutch
Junior Open Squash Championships,
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Evans &
Khalifa Celebrate Dutch Delight
Egypt's
Osama Khaled Khalifa and Welsh wizard Tesni Evans won the U19
titles in the Dutch Junior Open Squash Championships - both champions
coming from behind to triumph in the finals of the European Squash
Federation Super Series Junior Circuit event celebrating its 25th year
at the Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.
Second
seed Khalifa became one of the event's youngest ever champions when he upset
favourite Tyler Osborne in the men's final. The 16-year-old from
Cairo - the younger brother of 18-year-old World Junior champion Amr
Khaled Khalifa - was making his first appearance in an ESF U19 event.
But after
toppling Canada's third seed Michael McCue in the semi-finals,
Khalifa extended top-seeded Canadian Osborne to a 34-point first game before
prevailing 16-18, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 to claim the title.
An
all-Welsh final was predicted in the women's event - but third seed Maria
Elena Ubina saw off Welsh national championship runner-up Hannah
Davies, the No2 seed, in the semi-finals to claim an unexpected place in
the climax.
And the
16-year-old from Connecticut in the USA took the early advantage in the
final as Evans dropped her first game of the championship.
But the
Cardiff-born 18-year-old favourite then took control as Evans marched
through to her 9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 victory.
The
triumph marks Evans's third ESF junior circuit title of the season, after
winning the Swiss Junior Open in December and the Welsh Junior
Open in March.
Men's
U19 quarter-finals:
[1] Tyler Osborne (CAN) bt Aqeel Ashkanani (KUW) 11-4, 13-11,
11-5
[5] Marc ter Sluis (NED) bt Alfonso Marroquin (COL) 11-3,
9-11, 11-7, 12-10
[3] Michael McCue (CAN) bt [9/16] Aitor Zunzunegui (ESP) 11-9,
11-6, 11-6
[2] Osama Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt [7] Matthew Sidaway (ENG)
11-7, 11-8, 11-7
Semi-finals:
[1] Tyler Osborne (CAN) bt [5] Marc ter Sluis (NED) 11-5,
11-8, 13-11
[2] Osama Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt [3] Michael McCue (CAN)
11-2, 11-6, 11-7
Final:
[2] Osama Khaled Khalifa (EGY) bt [1] Tyler Osborne (CAN)
16-18, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
Women's
U19 quarter-finals:
[1] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [8] Rachel Leizman (USA) 11-6, 11-7,
11-7
[9/16] Camille Lanier (POR) bt [9/16] Isabelle Dowling (USA)
11-9, 11-1, 7-11, 9-11, 11-3
[3] Maria Elena Ubina (USA) bt [6] Katie Smith (ENG) 11-4,
11-9, 11-7
[2] Hannah Davies (WAL) bt [9/16] Ilona Lagerweij (NED) 9-11,
11-5, 12-10, 11-8
Semi-finals:
[1] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [9/16] Camille Lanier (POR) 11-8,
11-9, 11-5
[3] Maria Elena Ubina (USA) bt [2] Hannah Davies (WAL) 11-8,
2-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7
Final:
[1] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [3] Maria Elena Ubina (USA) 9-11,
11-8, 11-4, 11-3 |
