Squash Australia Selects Promising Team for 2026 World Junior Championships

Squash Australia is thrilled to announce the selection of the Australian team set to compete at the 2026 World Junior Championships in Ontario, Canada from 20-31 July 2026.

The team features the rising stars of the sport, including 2026 Australian Junior Open U19 champions Joanne Joseph (VIC) and Kasper Cheung (NSW), and 2026 Oceania Junior U19 Girls champion Sarbani Maitra (QLD). 

The honour of representing the country amongst the best Juniors in the world is at the forefront of the minds of Joanne Joseph and Kasper Cheung. For both athletes, wearing the green and gold is something that they never take for granted. 

“It is always such a privilege to be selected to represent Australia, especially at an event as special as the World Junior Championships,” Joseph said.

“I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to compete on this stage again, and I’m excited to give everything I have for Australia and for the team.”

The pair have both had notable wins in the lead up to the Junior World Championships, both crowned 2026 U19 Australian Junior Open U19 winners and runners up in the 2026 Oceania Junior Championships U19 finals last month in Melbourne. 

“I look forward to competing with an entire team behind me, and supporting the team as well, competing with the people who you usually compete against,” Cheung said.

“The title win in Melbourne definitely gave me a lot of confidence going into the preparation for Canada,” he said.

Both Joseph and Cheung are seasoned competitors having played in the previous two Junior World Championships and aim to improve on their standings.

“I want to put together my best performances and show the progress I’ve made over the past year,” Joseph said. 

“More than anything, I want to help push the Australian team to achieve one of our strongest results at a World Juniors yet.”

Team spirit and support are just as important to the pair, as success is. As the experienced members of the team, both want to ensure everyone feels supported and part of team Australia. 

“I’m looking forward to supporting the younger players and helping create a strong team culture,” she said. ”I want to be someone they can look up to and feel comfortable learning from.

Squash Australia’s National Pathways Coach Jenny Duncalf will lead the team to Canada with the support of National Coach Stewart Boswell and former World No. 5 Kasey Brown. Kasey joins the team in a coaching and mentoring role.

High Performance Director Lachlan Johnston said the program was thrilled to have someone of Kasey’s calibre involved with the National Junior Team.

“Being well connected with our alumni is a key principle of our High Performance strategy and we’re delighted to have Kasey involved to pass on her knowledge and experience to the next generation. We’ve been fortunate over the past few years to have had players like Michelle Martin, Donna Lobban and Amelia Pittock involved with our national teams and international tour groups, and Kasey is another person who our juniors can learn a lot from.

Squash Australia would like to congratulate the following athletes on their selection:

Women

Joanne Joseph (NSW)

Tina Ma (VIC)

Sarbani Maitra (QLD)

Lilly Wilson (QLD)

Men

Kasper Cheung (NSW)

Stanley Chung (NSW)

Henry Kross (NSW)

Ethan Middleton (NSW)