Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Squash Future Looks Bright Following 2017 World Junior Championships
July 31, 2017 | Men's Squash
Five key members of the future — and very shortly, the present — for the Princeton men's and women's squash teams posted strong efforts at one of the most prestigious events in the sport, the World Junior Squash Championships, which ended this past weekend in Tauranga, New Zealand.
Incoming freshman Youssef Ibrahim reached the individual semifinals before falling in a thriller to the eventual champion, while future classmates Grace Doyle and Emme Leonard helped the U.S. women to a Top-5 finish at the team championships. All five players, including rising sophomore Adhitya Raghavan and incoming freshman Cole Becker, played in the individual event and produced their own highlights along the way.
MEN
Former British Junior Open champion Ibrahim, Princeton's most touted recruit since Yasser El-Halaby '06, entered the loaded field as the top-seeded player, and he won his first four matches to reach the semifinal round, where he faced 3/4 seed Marwan Tarek in a thriller. Unfortunately for Ibrahim, Tarek was able to finish off both games that went extra points (13-11 in the first, 12-10 in the decisive fourth) to claim the match and reach the final, which he ultimately won. Regardless, it was another deep run for Ibrahim, who did the same at the 2017 British Junior Open last January.
Ibrahim reached the semifinal in that event, as did his future teammate, Raghavan. That performance helped the 2017 All-America and All-Ivy honore earn a 5/8 seed in the draw, where he won two matches before falling in a five-game marathon one match short of the quarterfinal round.
Becker may have been one of the lesser-known players in the field, but he nearly pulled off an early stunner. The unseeded American cruised to a 3-0 win in his opener, and then faced 9/12 seed Mohamed Elshamy in the second round. Becker held match balls in the fifth game, but Elshamy rallied for a 12-10 win in the finale. For context, that was the second-closest any of the 16 seeded players came to losing in the second round (one did lose).
WOMEN
The 2017 Championships had both an individual and team event, which allowed both Doyle and Leonard multiple opportunities to represent the USA. Doyle won her individual opener 3-0 before falling to 5/8 seed Andrea Lee in the second round, but she bounced back in a consolation round with a 3-2 thriller over fellow American Elle Ruggiero.
Leonard fell in her opening match, which moved her to the Junior Individual Plate draw, where she went on to win her first three matches before falling to Andrea Toth, the younger sister of 2016-17 Princeton captain Alex Toth.
Doyle and Leonard turned their focus to the team competition, where they helped the USA finish fifth overall with a 2-1 win over India.
Incoming freshman Youssef Ibrahim reached the individual semifinals before falling in a thriller to the eventual champion, while future classmates Grace Doyle and Emme Leonard helped the U.S. women to a Top-5 finish at the team championships. All five players, including rising sophomore Adhitya Raghavan and incoming freshman Cole Becker, played in the individual event and produced their own highlights along the way.
MEN
Former British Junior Open champion Ibrahim, Princeton's most touted recruit since Yasser El-Halaby '06, entered the loaded field as the top-seeded player, and he won his first four matches to reach the semifinal round, where he faced 3/4 seed Marwan Tarek in a thriller. Unfortunately for Ibrahim, Tarek was able to finish off both games that went extra points (13-11 in the first, 12-10 in the decisive fourth) to claim the match and reach the final, which he ultimately won. Regardless, it was another deep run for Ibrahim, who did the same at the 2017 British Junior Open last January.
Ibrahim reached the semifinal in that event, as did his future teammate, Raghavan. That performance helped the 2017 All-America and All-Ivy honore earn a 5/8 seed in the draw, where he won two matches before falling in a five-game marathon one match short of the quarterfinal round.
Becker may have been one of the lesser-known players in the field, but he nearly pulled off an early stunner. The unseeded American cruised to a 3-0 win in his opener, and then faced 9/12 seed Mohamed Elshamy in the second round. Becker held match balls in the fifth game, but Elshamy rallied for a 12-10 win in the finale. For context, that was the second-closest any of the 16 seeded players came to losing in the second round (one did lose).
WOMEN
The 2017 Championships had both an individual and team event, which allowed both Doyle and Leonard multiple opportunities to represent the USA. Doyle won her individual opener 3-0 before falling to 5/8 seed Andrea Lee in the second round, but she bounced back in a consolation round with a 3-2 thriller over fellow American Elle Ruggiero.
Leonard fell in her opening match, which moved her to the Junior Individual Plate draw, where she went on to win her first three matches before falling to Andrea Toth, the younger sister of 2016-17 Princeton captain Alex Toth.
Doyle and Leonard turned their focus to the team competition, where they helped the USA finish fifth overall with a 2-1 win over India.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Squash
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