Pakistan’s rising squash star Mahnoor Ali secured a spot in the Under-13 final of the US Junior Squash Open after an impressive victory over China’s Zinyuan Yin in the semi-finals on Monday night in Philadelphia.
The 11-year-old Ali dominated the first two sets, winning 11-7 and 11-5. Yin made a comeback in the third set, taking it 11-5, but Ali showed her resilience by sealing the match with a close 12-10 win in the fourth set. She now prepares to face Egypt’s Linda Elsayed in the final scheduled for Tuesday.
Elsayed delivered an exceptional performance in her semi-final clash against USA’s Alice Huang, securing a straight-set victory of 11-9, 11-7, and 11-9 to reach the title match.
Speaking after her semi-final victory, Ali acknowledged the tough competition and admitted to making a few unforced errors. “I faced strong competition today and made more mistakes than I would have liked, but I’ll try not to repeat those in the final,” Ali said in a video message.
Ali’s journey to the final has been remarkable. Earlier on Monday, she played an intense quarter-final against USA’s Kaylee Li. After losing the first set 9-11, Ali bounced back to win the next three sets 11-9, 11-9, and 11-8, securing her place in the semi-finals.
Ranked as the current Asian No. 2 in her age category, Ali has remained undefeated throughout the tournament, which features nearly 1,200 young athletes from over 40 countries.
Ali expressed gratitude to her sponsors, the Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation, for their continuous support throughout her training and competitions.
As she heads into the final, Mahnoor Ali aims to maintain her winning streak and bring home the prestigious title.
