Top seeds safe on AJO opening day
Published Mon 08 Apr 2024
Day one of the 2024 Australian Junior Open saw a high standard of play across all 10 divisions, with most of the top seeds still alive.
One of the biggest upsets of the day saw Soha Khatri take down 2023 U17 Champion Maiden-Lee Coe (NZL) in the U19 Girls round of 16. Khatri led 2-0 before Coe evened the match up, only for the South Australian to win the fifth 13-11 and eliminate the 3/4 seed.
She will now play Lijana Sultana (MLT) - who lost to Coe in last year’s U17 final - after she escaped a jam against 15-year-old Sarbani Maitra (QLD). The Queenslander led 2-1, however Sultana showed composure in the fourth and fifth games to make it through to the final eight.
“I was very stressed, very nervous - I’m very happy to come back and win in five [games],” said Sultana. “It might not have been my best squash but I pushed and I really worked and I’m really proud for that.
“This is a really stacked AJO this year so I’m really excited to play consistently good matches for the first time which I’m really excited for.”
The Boys Under 19 division has seen the top 16 seeds all make it through to the round of 16. Particularly impressive was top seed Oliver Dunbar (NZL) who won his second round clash in just 14 minutes.
“It was good to get used to the conditions; it’s always different to training,” said Dunbar, who will also contest the Oceania Junior Championships and Trans Tasman Test Series over the coming week and a half. “Playing for your country is something I don’t take for granted so every time I make the most of it and put my heart on my sleeve.”
Across the Under 17s, three players eliminated higher seeded opponents to progress in their divisions. In the Girls, Eden-Alma Poulava (NSW) is the only player not seeded in the top eight to make the quarter-finals. In the Boys, 17/32 seeds Eric Marsh (WA) and Manaia Kara-Brown (VIC) are through to the round of 16.
In the Boys Under 15s Azan Ali Khan (PAK) took down 5/8 seed Max Jones, dropping just eight points. Top seed Henry Kross (NSW) was highly impressive in his opening match, relishing the opportunity to play on the glass court in a commanding victory over Victoria’s Nick Mazzarella.
The pair shared many a laugh on court during the match which Kross said he thoroughly enjoyed.
“Just having fun with the opponent, that’s all that matters - having fun is probably the most important part,” he said, commenting that he has had a strong lead-in to the AJO. “Preparation was good; been training a lot, the coaching has really helped a lot.”
The Girls Under 15 round of 16 went mainly with form, however New Zealand’s Casey Ellery upset Tasmania’s Luka Cock to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Fourteen of the top 16 seeds are through in the Boys Under 13s, with Malaysia’s Lee Manhae Lucius and Queensland’s Levi Moxey both defeating 9/16 seeds to advance.
Last year’s Under 11 champion Emily Senior was ultra impressive in her first match in the Girls Under 13s, needing only 10 minutes on court to move through to Tuesday. Giselle Josifoski (ACT), Elizabeth Wang (NSW) and Jaida Wrigley (NSW) all outlasted higher seeded opponents to make the quarter-finals.
Six of the top eight Boys Under 11 seeds are through to the quarters, however Bodhi Wratten (NSW) and Aarav Dinesh (MAS) both took down 5/8 seeds to continue their march through the draw.
The Girls Under 11s will see the top eight seeds into the quarter-finals, with Abbey Boswell through in the fastest match of the day, dropping just three points in her eight minute match.
The 2024 Australian Junior Open continues on Tuesday morning at Melbourne Sports Centres.
