Super Tuesday sets stage for semis
Published Tue 09 Apr 2024
The semi-finals have been decided in all but one of the 10 divisions at the 2024 Australian Junior Open, setting up an incredible day of final four action on Wednesday.
The Boys Under 15, Under 17 and Under 19s all needed to play both their round of 16 and quarter-finals matches today, while the Under 13 boys will double up on quarters and semis tomorrow.
UNDER 19
Madison Lyon (QLD) remains on track for a historic three-peat of the AJO Under 19 crown following a clinical 15-minute quarter-final victory today. On Wednesday she will play New Zealand’s Sophie Hodges who was taken to four games by Victoria’s Courtney Scholtz. New Zealand’s second seed Ella Lash was too strong for WA’s Hannah Slyth and will go on to meet 2023 Under 17 AJO runner-up Lijana Sultana (MLT) in the second semi.
New Zealand’s Oliver Dunbar is safely through to the Boys semi-finals, but his 3-0 victory over Daniel Marsh didn’t tell the story of how hard the West Australian pushed the top seed. Dunbar will now face Malaysia’s 5/8 seed Wong Lee Hong who overcame Dunbar’s compatriot Charlie Prince in their quarter-final clash.
Second seed Freddie Jameson (NZL) dropped his first game of the tournament in the quarter-final against local Haider Naqvi (VIC), and now shapes up against New South Wales’ Thomas Scott.
UNDER 17
Malaysia’s Xin Yii Lee is the first player to oust a top seed this week, defeating New Zealand’s Erin Wyllie to qualify for the Girls Under 17 semi-finals. She will face another Kiwi in Aria Bannister on Wednesday. Pakistan’s second seed Mehwish Ali will meet Victoria Moran who won an all-NZ quarter-final against Justine Pausch in five games.
Stanley Chung (NSW) had a fantastic day on Tuesday, twice overcoming higher-ranked opponents in Connor Haberecht (VIC) and Jarrod Atkins (TAS) to take his place in the final four.
His job doesn’t get any easier, however, now meeting top seed Brodie Bennett (NZL) who dropped his first game of the tournament in the quarter-finals but is safely through to the next round.
The bottom half of the Boys Under 17 draw has gone to seeding, with Saatindraa T S Mohan Raj (MAS) set to face Ibrahim Zeb (PAK) for a place in the final.
UNDER 15
The three medallists from the 2023 Oceania Championships are all in contention to win the Girls Under 15 title this week. South Australia’s Olivia van Zon took down a higher-ranked seed to progress, while last year’s top three from Tauranga - Tina Ma (VIC, gold), Lilly Wilson (QLD, silver) and Brooke Valois (NZL) - are all into the final four.
Azan Ali Khan (PAK) had another day to remember on Tuesday. Having taken down a higher-ranked opponent on day one, Khan went on to drop a total of just 22 points in the round of 16 and quarter-final combined - both against higher seeds - to enter the semis.
There he will face top seed Henry Kross (NSW) who overcame Malaysia’s Nevellton Jinggan in a five-game round of 16 clash, before cruising through his quarter-final.
On the other side of the draw, Yahya Khan scored one of the results of the day with a four-game victory over second seed Joel Raj (QLD). He will now meet 3/4 seed Vihan Chathury (NZL).
UNDER 13
The Under 13 Girls quarter-finals saw arguably the glass court’s match of the day with defending champion Emily Senior (JPN) defeating Pakistan’s Sehrish Ali in five games to make the semi-finals. She will now meet Elizabeth Wang (NSW) while Pakistan’s second seed Mahnoor Ali dropped just four points for the second straight match to set up a showdown with 2023 Oceania U13 Champion Yusra Rashid (NZL).
Six of the top eight seeds in the Boys Under 13 draw are through to the quarter-finals, with tomorrow morning’s winners set back up for their semi-final on Wednesday afternoon. Queensland’s Angus McLaren and Malaysia’s Guhaanesh Ram Vinesh Ram both defeated higher-ranked opponents to qualify for the quarter-finals.
UNDER 11
The top four seeds in the U11 Boys draw will playoff for spots in the final on Wednesday. Muhammad Harmas Ali Raja (PAK), Seng Hou Cayden Fong (MAC) and Edward Lam (MAS) all spent 20 minutes or less on court, while Victoria’s Aleister Loo fought back from two games down to win in five.
The Under 11 Girls division has seen two 5/8 seeds make it through to the final four. Queensland’s Abbey Boswell will take on top seed Aradhana Singh (IND) in Wednesday’s semi-final while Sashana Istritharan (MAS) is set to take on 3/4 seed Meriam Ibrahim (VIC).
The 2024 Australian Junior Open continues on Wednesday morning at Melbourne Sports Centres.
