It was a strong showing for Canada’s junior athletes at the 2025 World Squash Junior Championships, held July 21 to August 1 in Cairo, Egypt. Competing at the world-class Black Ball Sporting Club, led by coaches Jonathan Hill and Samantha Cornett, along with Team Manager, Chris Truswell, Canada’s athletes demonstrated their resilience on the world stage with the junior women’s team achieving a 7th place finish and the junior men’s team securing 11th place.

The women’s team made of Alyssa Ho (AB), Joelle Kim (BC), Ocean Ma (BC) and Spring Ma (BC), placed second in their pool after decisive wins over South Africa (3-0) and Germany (3-0) and a loss to the United States (0-3). Advancing to the quarterfinals Canada faced a tough draw with England, where they battled hard but ultimately came up short (1-2). Team Canada went on to play India, losing 0-2, and then Australia winning 2-1, for a final finish of 7th place. Along the way, Ocean Ma battled through a broken nose, showing incredible grit, while 14-year-old Joelle Kim gained invaluable experience against the world’s best.

On the men’s side, Calder Murray (AB), Rohan Paliwal (AB), Youssef Sarhan (QC), and Youssef Taha (AB) faced one of the deepest draws of the event. They split the round robin stage with a loss against Egypt (0-3) and a win against Australia (3-0). With a loss in the Round of 16 against India (0-2), the men’s team dropped to the 9/16 draw. The Men’s Team went on to play Hong Kong but fell short (0-2), the team then rebounded with a win over Poland (2-1) for a final finish of 11th place.

Furthermore, in the individual event, first-time World Juniors competitors Keira Hickox (ON), Salma Hassan (QC), Luke Yang (ON), and Arham Izhar (ON) all gained valuable experience, making strong debuts and testing themselves against top junior players.

As we reflect on a successful Canadian campaign in Cairo, Squash Canada now turns its attention to the future with great anticipation. Canada will welcome the global squash community July 20 – 31, 2026 as the official host of the 2026 World Squash Junior Championships. This prestigious event featuring the world’s top junior athletes will be held at the Mark Sachvie Squash Center at White Oaks Resort and Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, and will be supported by the brand-new Jack Aylott Center at Ridley College. The countdown is on for an unforgettable celebration of international squash in 2026.

See 2025 World Squash Junior Championships Results: Team Results & Individual Results.