KARACHI: Pakistani players started in excellent form as they extended their winning streak at the World Junior Squash Championship currently being held in Houston, USA.
After winning their first round matches, Hamza Khan, Huzaifa Ibrahim and Abdullah Nawaz also triumphed in their round of 64 matches.
Defending men’s champion Hamza secured a 3-0 victory over Spain’s Oriol Salvia Rebull. Hamza’s winning scores were 11-8, 11-6 and 11-3.
Huzaifa Ibrahim defeated South Africa’s Connor Arends 3-0 with scores of 11-5, 11-6 and 11-8.
Abdullah Nawaz also won 3-0 over Brazil’s Lucas Yencharleson with scores of 11-0, 11-7 and 11-4.
All three Pakistani players have advanced to the round of 32, which is scheduled for tonight.
The championship started with individual disciplines from July 12, which will run until July 17. Team events will be held from July 18 to 23.
243 players from 39 national federations are participating in this year’s junior squash championship. They include defending women’s champion Amina Orfi of Egypt and defending men’s champion Hamza.
Notably, this year’s event marks the first time the men’s and women’s team competitions have been held simultaneously in the history of world squash, deviating from the traditional annual rotation of team events.
