AJC Semi-Finals locked in after exciting action on Day 2
Published Mon 29 Sep 2025
Forty juniors have secured their spots in the semi-finals of the 2025 Australian Junior Championships, inching closer to claiming their respective titles at Ballarat Squash & Racquetball Fitness Centre in regional Victoria.
Day 2 of competition brought plenty of excitement in Ballarat with several tight contests taking place throughout the day to bring those in attendance to their feet.
Under 19
Defending U19 Girls Champion Sarbani Maitra (QLD) opened her account with a 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-0) win over Jade Reynolds (NSW) after a first-round bye. The Queenslander is due to take on Western Australia’s Isla Harris, who continued her winning form on Monday afternoon with a 3-1 (11-3, 10-12, 11-2, 11-4) victory against state compatriot Sydney Ennis (WA).
Maitra was pleased to get her first match under her belt for the tournament after encountering a bye on the first day.
“I felt good, finally got to have a match. I quite like the centre and city, it is really nice. We also went to the lake the other day, it was so nice."
“I’m hoping that there is a lot of good squash ahead of me. I’m excited for the team event and it is good preparation for me with a few PSA events coming up," said Maitra.
On the opposite end of the draw, No.2 seed Hannah Slyth (WA) claimed a place in the Semi-Finals after taking down Amelia Brigden (NSW) 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-2). Slyth will meet Katlyn Hall (SA), who kept a clean sheet against Josie Jones (WA) 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-5)
U19 Boys top seed Jackson Wylie (NSW) proved too strong for Aiden Finlay-Mulligan (WA) 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-3). The New South Welshman will take on Haider Naqvi (VIC), who booked his spot after an impressive win against Stanley Chung (NSW) 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-7).
Second seed Marcus Wang (NSW) was made to work hard for his Semi-Final berth in arguably the fixture of the day against Daniel I. Yanez M. (NSW) 3-2 (11-9, 14-16, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6). The Ballarat crowd packed the viewing platform to witness a possible upset brewing. But Wang would stay composed to muscle his way back from 1-2 games down to take out the fixture.
“Daniel was playing pretty well and he was hitting the ball hard which I found pretty difficult.”
“After being down after the third set, I just came to the court and told myself I need to get through and win which helped pushed me through,” said Wang.
Joshua Rahul Raj (QLD) rounds out the final slot in the U19s Boys Semi-Finals after notching up a 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-7) win against Jarrod Atkins (TAS).
Under 17
The top 4 seeds in the U17 Girls have progressed through to the Semi-Finals. Tina Ma (VIC), Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW), Emilia Scott (NSW) and Lilly Wilson (QLD) all putting on a ruthless display to roll into Day 3 without dropping a game.
Top U17 Boys seed Kasper Cheung (NSW) powered his way through Connor Haberecht (VIC) 3-0. Cheung will face Joel Roshan Raj (QLD) who upset Bryce Correa (SA) 3-2 in a stirring win.
Ethan Middleton (NSW) has navigated his way to the final four after a 3-1 victory against Manaia Kara-Brown (VIC). Kara-Brown unable to continue his giant killing run after shutting down No.2 seed Andreas Christou (WA) earlier in the day. Middleton will face off against Henry Kross (NSW) who continued his perfect run defeating James Boswell (QLD) 3-0.
Under 15
The U15 Girls sprung a few surprises to keep the crowd entertained. No. 1 seed Olivia van Zon (SA) is one win away from the final after a 3-0 win against Jaida Wigley (NSW). She will come up against Riyo Kawabata (QLD) who took down Niah low-nang (NSW) in another upset 3-0. The trend continued on the opposite end of the draw with Cleo Poulava (NSW) surprising No. 2 seed Nadia Van Zon (SA) 3-1. She will face Vera Bruce (WA) who marched her way past Isabella Wilcox (QLD) and Shara Sumanth (VIC) in an impressive outing on Day 2.
No.1 U15 Boys seeds Max Jones (NSW) will meet Elijah Rolls (VIC) in the Semi-Finals. Rolls downing Angus McLaren (QLD) 3-1 to continue his momentum into tomorrow’s knockout fixture. While Domenic Christou (WA) and Kanishk Doddam Reddy (SA) will duke it out in the other Semi-Final for a chance to play for the U15 Boys title.
For the full draw and results from the opening day of the 2025 Australian Junior Championships in Ballarat, click here.
Day 3 action continues at the Ballarat Squash & Racquetball Fitness Centre on Tuesday, September 30 with live streaming from 10:30AM AEST on SquashAUS.tv.
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2025 Australian Junior Championships
Ballarat Squash & Racquetball Fitness Centre
Tuesday, 30 September - Semi-Finals
Under 11 Girls
1:00PM AEST Court 1 - [1] Hannah Leung (QLD) v [3/4] Kaira Malhotra (NSW)
1:00PM AEST Court 2 - [2] Ruisha Chu (NSW) v [3/4] Miranda Clarke (WA)
Under 11 Boys
12:00PM AEST Court 1 - [1] Freddie Goldsmith (VIC) v [3/4] Owen Boardman (NSW)
12:00PM AEST Court 2 - [2] Nathan Lin (NSW) v [3/4] Joshua Gailer Castellanos (QLD)
Under 13 Girls
10:30AM AEST Court 1 - [1] Annette So Chow (NSW) v [3/4] Elizabeth Wang (NSW)
10:30AM AEST Court 2 - [2] Abbey Boswell (QLD) v [3/4] Yashica Jiwa Mohan (VIC)
Under 13 Boys
1:30PM AEST Court 2 - [1] Benjamin Boardman (NSW) v [3/4] Kai Dumbleton (QLD)
1:30PM AEST Court 1 - [2] Aleister Loo (VIC) v [5/8] Grayson Coleman (QLD)
Under 15 Girls
11:30AM AEST Court 2 - [1] Olivia van Zon (SA) v [5/8] Riyo Kawabata (QLD)
11:30AM AEST Court 1 - [5/8] Cleo Poulava (NSW) v [9/16] Vera Bruce (WA)
Under 15 Boys
3:30PM AEST Court 2 - [1] Max Jones (NSW) v [3/4] Elijah Rolls (VIC)
3:30PM AEST Court 1 - [2] Domenic Christou (WA) v [3/4] Kanishk Doddam Reddy (SA)
Under 17 Girls
11:00AM AEST Court 2 - [1] Tina Ma (VIC) v [3/4] Emilia Scott (NSW)
11:00AM AEST Court 1 - [2] Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW) v [3/4] Lilly Wilson (QLD)
Under 17 Boys
3:00PM AEST Court 1 - [1] Kasper Cheung (NSW) v [5/8] Joel Roshan Raj (QLD)
3:00PM AEST Court 2 - [3/4] Henry Kross (NSW) v [17/32] Ethan Middleton (NSW)
Under 19 Girls
12:30PM AEST Court 1 - [1] Sarbani Maitra (QLD) v [3/4] Isla Harris (WA)
12:30PM AEST Court 2 - [2] Hannah Slyth (WA) v [3/4] Katlyn Hall (SA)
Under 19 Boys
2:00PM AEST Court 2 - [1] Jackson Wylie (NSW) v [3/4] Haider Naqvi (VIC)
2:00PM AEST Court 1 - [2] Marcus Wang (NSW) v [3/4] Joshua Rahul Raj (QLD)
