The 4th McDonald’s National Junior Squash Championship moved into the semi-final stage after a series of tense quarter-final matches at the Venus Jahangir Khan Squash Academy in Karachi. Organized by the Sindh Squash Association and carrying a total purse of Rs 800,000 with McDonald’s Pakistan as title sponsor, the event features a 32-player main draw in each category.
In a standout moment for junior squash, unseeded Sindh player Raheel Victor produced a major upset by defeating third seed Faizan Ali Khan of Army in a five-game classic that lasted one hour and two minutes. Raheel prevailed 11-6, 11-9, 11-13, 9-11, 11-6 to claim his spot in the Boys Under-15 semi-finals. He will join Fawad Khan, Abdul Hadi and Danish Sikandar in the last four. Fawad Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Punjab’s Jasim, Abdul Hadi overcame Ishtiaq Khalil, and Danish Sikandar advanced after Punjab’s M. Bin Atif retired hurt.
The Girls Under-19 semi-final line-up was settled with four strong performers progressing. Top seed Mahwish Ali of WAPDA defeated fellow WAPDA player Nimra Rehman 3-1, while Manahil Aqeel of KP edged Alishba in a narrow 3-2 contest. Nimra Batool of Sindh beat Nahida Faiz of KP 3-0, and Damiah Khan of Sindh also advanced with a straight-games victory over Rania Qazi. These results keep the Junior Squash competition highly competitive across age groups.
Results issued by Naveed Rehman, Secretary General of the Sindh Squash Association, show the Boys Under-11 semi-finalists as Abdul Rehman Riaz (PAF), Muhammad Sameer (PAF), Atif Ali Naz (Sindh) and Anas Rafi (PAF). In the Boys Under-9 category, Muhammad Aban, Muhammad Hasnain and M. Bin Naseem of Sindh, alongside Abdul Hadi of Punjab, advanced to the semi-finals after their quarter-final wins.
The championship remains a focal point for emerging talent in Pakistani junior squash, with semi-final matches across all categories scheduled to continue today at the Karachi venue.
