Pakistan’s Mahnoor Ali reached the Under-13 final at the US Junior Open by defeating China’s Zinyuan Yin in the semi-finals in Philadelphia on Monday night.
Ali overcame Yin with scores of 11-7, 11-5, before dropping the third set 5-11. She rallied in the fourth set to clinch the match 12-10, securing her spot in the finals against Egypt’s Linda Elsayed on Tuesday.
Elsayed dominated Alice Huang of the USA, winning in straight sets 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.
After her semi-final victory, Ali acknowledged the tough competition, admitting to more errors than usual. “I’ll try not to repeat those in the final,” she stated.
Undefeated Mahnoor Ali storms into the U13 final at the US Junior Open!
Watch out world, this rising star is ready to shine!#SquashChampion #U13Final #MahnoorAli
Read More: https://t.co/bv8lXDoYqs pic.twitter.com/TN5Xgb0aNu
— Pulse News Network (@PulseNewsNW) December 17, 2024Earlier on Monday, in the quarterfinals, Ali lost the first set 9-11 against USA’s Kaylee Li but recovered to win 11-9, 11-9, 11-8.
Currently ranked No. 2 in Asia, Ali has maintained an undefeated streak throughout the tournament, which featured almost 1,200 athletes from over 40 countries.
Read: Mahnoor Ali Triumphs Over Sister at HEAD Danish Junior Open
Ali thanked her sponsors, the BARD (Bilquis and Abdul Razzak Dawood) Foundation, for their year-round support.
