Play the clips below to see how Nicol David and Ramy Ashour compellingly highlight the strengths of the squash case and what competing in the Olympic Games would mean to them.

The second video is a visual illustration that squash is played all over the world, with players from many of them taking part by self-filming their national identity.

Nicol David and Ramy Ashour make the case

Squash is played at The Ends of the Earth

President Ramachandran said: “Our presentation set out to show that squash has been on a journey of innovation over recent years.  Developments such as state-of-art all glass courts, under floor lighting, referee video review, side court entrances, and improved in-venue presentation have all led to a dramatic change in the broadcast and fan experience.

“We also stressed the global reach and appeal of the sport.  All five continents have produced both male and female world champions, and the current women’s top 20 features players from 12 countries spread across every continent.  There can be no doubt that if squash were to be included in the Olympic Games Programme it would provide more countries with a chance to be on the medal podium.”

“It was a great session,” added Ramachandran.  “The Programme Commission showed a real interest in the development of our sport.”

The WSF also unveiled its Squash 2020 bid film today, which captures the excitement and recent innovations in the sport, and what Squash would bring to the Olympic Games.  Featuring two of the game’s most exciting players – Malaysia’s Nicol David, currently bidding to win a record seventh World title, and Egypt’s Ramy Ashour, the newly-crowned men’s World Champion – the film was one of three shown as part of the WSF presentation to the IOC Programme Commission.

Watch the 2020 bid film 

James Willstrop, Men’s World No 1 said: “Squash represents the essence of Olympic sport.  It’s gladiatorial given that we are the only racket sport where players share the same space, and to excel requires a mix of mental strategy, skill, athleticism and fitness.  In the past few seasons there has been a revolution in the way squash is presented to spectators.  MCs, music and lighting have really helped to get the fans involved and that’s great for players.

“I’m 29 years old so my dream to compete in the Olympic Games may never be realised, but if I can play a part in helping squash become part of the Olympic Programme, I could even retire a happy man.”

One of the highlights of the presentation was the story of Reyna Pacheco and how squash has helped change her life.

Reyna Pachero, who was born in Mexico, now lives in the United States and became the highest ranked Urban player in US Squash, added: “My mother brought my older brother and myself to the United States when I was four. We were illegal immigrants, I grew up with very little at home and I didn’t believe there was much I could achieve. My life was completely transformed when Squash was introduced to me.

“Squash hasn’t just turned my life around – it probably saved my life. It inspired something in me that created a whole new path for me and recently led to me being awarded a scholarship from the Bill Gates Foundation to attend Columbia University. Perhaps one day I may even be able to realize my dream and share my story with the world as an Olympian in the 2020 Games.”

Highlighting the technical qualities of squash Andrew Shelley, WSF Chief Executive said: “The format we have proposed to the IOC Programme Commission is Men’s and Women’s Singles Championships involving 32 male and 32 female players.  Matches would take place on two state-of-the art all glass courts, each with a capacity of up to 4,000 spectators utilising steep seating to create a really strong arena affect and great atmosphere.  Squash would be easy and low cost to integrate into the Olympic Games, with just 64 athletes, two competition courts that can be built in a matter of days and only 20 officials.

“Squash also has the advantage of sharing a venue if required, or being staged in an iconic, visually stunning environment and our sport has a track record of doing exactly this.  For example, in front of the Pyramids, alongside Hong Kong Harbour and at Grand Central Station in New York.”

To view two of the WSF bid films – the main film ‘Squash Olympic Bid’, and a YouTube-style film ‘Ends Of The Earth’ that shows squash players from around the world backing the Squash2020 bid – visit www.worldsquash.org/ws/?page_id=10535

watch the films

After a rain-affected semi-finals session on the Saturday, the two finals brought the 27th staging of the World Series championships to a glorious climax outdoors on an all-glass show court erected at the Cultural Centre Piazza on the Hong Kong waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui.

Nicol David, the Malaysian superstar who has topped the world rankings since 2006, won her eighth successive Hong Kong title after beating surprise French opponent Camille Serme in the women’s final, and Egypt’s 2010 champion Ramy Ashour successfully regained the men’s title after deposing defending champion James Willstrop, the world number one from England, in the other final.

“I could not be more happy with this weekend,” said WSF President N Ramachandran. “The Hong Kong Open is an impressive event, superbly managed by the Hong Kong Squash Federation and we were honoured that the IOC Programme Commission chose to come and evaluate it.

“While it is not one of our largest events by capacity, it has been framed to bring squash to the public; and the placing of the all-glass show-court on the Avenue Of The Stars at the Harbour certainly did that.

“We hope that the inspectors were happy with the staging, presentation and broadcast of our sport, together with our fine Tour athletes, and that their positive impressions can be reinforced when we present to the Commission as a whole in Lausanne later this month.”

Walter Sieber, one of the two IOC Programme Commission representatives, said: “We were able to make a very thorough inspection of the way the event was organised, taking into account the needs of the athletes and coaches. Naturally, we also wanted to assess how the glass court is helping to present the sport for broadcast purposes.

“We found that the competition arrangements were of a high level, and on court we were able to see the top players in action too. It has proven to be very informative.”

After winning her 40th successive match in Hong Kong since 2003, Nicol David added: “I am so glad that the IOC inspectors could come to see such an amazing setup that is done here every year. For us players to play on the waterfront is wonderful – and they get to experience it too.

“I really hope that it helps our chances to join the Olympic programme.”

The Hong Kong Open, sponsored by the leading international airline Cathay Pacific since its launch in 1985, is one of the most popular championships on the world tour: “This venue shows how you can pick up and take the glass court to any great location in the world, wherever the Olympics is staged,” said England’s world champion Nick Matthew. “It is great that the IOC group have seen that for themselves.”

After a semi-final line-up featuring nations from four different continents, second seeds Egypt emerged triumphant after beating favourites England in a dramatic final which went to the wire. Held in France for the first time and boasting a record entry of 26 nations, the 2012 World Squash Federation championship came to a climax at the historic city’s La Parnasse Arena where, for the first time ever, action took place simultaneously on three all-glass show courts.

Alongside defending champions Australia and former champions England, the Nimes championship attracted event first-timers Czech Republic, Argentina, Republic of Korea and Namibia. In only their third ever appearance, Indiarecorded a historic fifth place finish.

It was Egypt’s second women’s world team title since 2008 – and featured a squad made up entirely of individual world junior champions: Raneem El Weleily, champion in 2005 & 2007; reigning champion Nour El Sherbini; Nour El Tayeb (2011); and Omneya Abdel Kawy (2003).

Egyptian coach Amir Wagih was thrilled with his team’s performance: “It’s so good for Egypt and so good for squash – it was a super final with three matches of unbelievable squash.”

Egypt’s latest success follows the men’s team crown won in Germany last year; the men’s junior team title successfully retained in July this year; and the women’s junior trophy which the country has held since 2007.

Squash is one of seven sports short-listed for consideration for the 2020 Olympic Games. With a solitary bronze won in the 2008 Games in Beijing, and just two silvers at London 2012, Egypt would be confident of adding squash gold in 2020 and beyond.

“Before getting underway, our women’s world championship in Nimes already broke significant records – with a record 26 entries and the first ever simultaneous use of three all-glass showcourts at the same event,” said WSF President N Ramachandran.

“And now Egypt’s inspiring team of young women has emphatically shown that a new nation could feature regularly on the winner’s podium if our sport were part of the Olympic Games programme.”

The 2012 championship generated unprecedented media coverage in France – from daily coverage in regional and national press to TV coverage on TF1, France 2, FR3, Sud-TV, Orange TV and Canal+ Sport.

“The event provided a great opportunity for squash development in France,” said Jacques Fontaine, President of theFédération Française de Squash, which will also host the 2013 Men’s World Team Championship in Mulhousenext June.

“All our efforts were focussed on our 2020 bid – the event helped to showcase the global growth of squash with a record number of nations taking part.

“We now feel we can expect a huge success in Mulhouse next year, where we will also be using the three glass courts.

“We were delighted to host this year’s women’s world championship for the first time. It confirms to us that world-class squash events offer the best opportunity to promote our sport,” concluded Fontaine.

The Ambassador Programme international promotional initiative was launched by the World Squash Federation last year – taking two of the world’s leading players, plus an international coach and referee to Latvia to highlight the appeal of Squash to the public and media in the Baltic country.

While the players integrated with the local squash community, providing clinics and exhibition matches in the capital Riga, coaching and refereeing workshops attracted interested parties both from Latvia and neighbouring countries.

The 2012 WSF Ambassador Programme will visit Lilongwe, the capital and largest city of Malawi, before moving onto the Republic of Namibia capital Windhoek.

In Lilongwe, the players will be joined by South Africa national coach Richard Castle and World referee Mike Collins, also from South Africa, who will conduct two-day coaching and refereeing workshops respectively for attendees who are likely to attend from several countries across southern Africa.

Jimmy Kawaye, President of Squash Malawi, anticipates a variety of benefits from the visit: “It will generate a number of positive developments, such as inspiring young players to choosing the sport of squash; motivating the senior players into competitive squash; improving the coaching and refereeing skills for the country; increasing awareness of the developmental effect the sport of squash; generating interest from the corporate world to provide funding for tournaments; and increasing funding from the National Sports Council and Malawi Olympic Committee for supporting the youth development programme.”

Namibian Squash Association (NSA) Chairperson Adri Lambert is equally upbeat about the forthcoming visit: “The opportunity to host ambassadors from the World Squash Federation (WSF) will be a great honour for the Namibian Squash Association. Squash in Namibia is experiencing unprecedented growth and with the proposed visit from such esteemed squash personalities, it will further boost the sport in the country.

“There is a lot of excitement regarding the proposed WSF ambassadors visit and this is a sure way to generate public interest in our sport locally. It will be the first time Namibia gets an opportunity to host WSF officials and we are looking forward to it.”

WSF CEO Andrew Shelley added: “Squash in Africa is a success story, and with the wonderful support from the players and instructors we can play our part, alongside the work of the national federations, in offering a little stimulus with the visit. For the players to meet the media as well as the squash communities, and for the coaching and referee fraternities to have the opportunity to learn and disseminate information and ideas – that is what these visits are all about, and we look forward to this next Ambassadors visit with great relish.”

Nicol David is arguably Malaysia’s most successful sports star of all-time, winning a record eighth ‘Malaysian Sportswoman of the Year’ award last year. The 28-year-old from Penang has held the Asian women’s squash title unopposed since 1998 – when aged just 14. Winner of 59 World Tour titles, including a record-breaking sixth World Open crown last November, Nicol has topped the women’s world rankings unopposed since August 2006 – a total of 68 months!

Mohamed El Shorbagy successfully defended his World Junior Championship title in 2009 – becoming only the second man in history to win the title twice. Currently the youngest player in the world top 30, the 21-year-old from Alexandria burst into the senior world top 20 just a year after his world junior triumph, and marched on to celebrate a career-high world No6 ranking at the beginning of this year.

Squash2020.com will feature a wide range of social media tools including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, enabling squash fans worldwide to keep up to date with the campaign.

The squash2020 bid logo was also unveiled with the slogan Sport At Its Best.

“The Squash 2020 bid effort will be strongly supported by social media” said WSF President N Ramachandran.  “We will be generating content to squash fans all over the world via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube throughout the duration of the bid process until ‘judgement day’.

“There are many thousands of squash fans scattered across various social media platforms and we hope to unite all of them by getting them (and their friends) to Back the Bid at squash2020.com.”

Meanwhile, it was also confirmed that later this month Squash will unveil a bid brochure capturing the sport’s key attributes and outline what the sport can bring to the Olympic Movement – with commentary in French and English.

WSF CEO Andrew Shelley said: “Our bid brochure will seek to capture the features of our growing global sport, the sheer athleticism of the players, the especially valuable ability to place glass show courts in locations that show off host cities, our development credentials, growing broadcast reach and our commitment to push the boundaries of innovation.”

www.squash2020.com

The new event – based on the successful model of the two-man-one-woman teams in the biennial (senior) WSF World Cup – was staged at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai, the largest shopping complex in southern India.

The event climaxed in a dramatic and unexpected final between Egypt and India - the top seeds versus the fourth-seeded hosts. Spurred on by an exuberant crowd seated around the all-glass court as well as hanging over balconies stretching three floors above, outsiders India staged a remarkable fight back in the second match to force a decider before ultimately falling to the favourites.

The new court featured an experimental glass floor with a superb new substructure allowing great ‘spring’ and the ability to use different colours and advertising signs under the floor. This exciting new development featured a multitude of LED lights beneath the floor, allowing scores, service boxes, sponsor signs and patterns to be displayed to add to the spectator enjoyment.
“The event showed once again the sheer versatility of squash presentation,” explained WSF President N Ramachandran. “The shopping centre itself attracted a near record attendance of over 75,000 on finals day – a massive crowd exposed to the sport as they passed the central atrium, or overlooked the action from above, or were simply intrigued by the spectacle as they went from floor to floor on the escalators that passed beside the playing arena.

“It was an overwhelming success, not just for squash in India but around the rest of the world,” added Ramachandran. “And a very successful debut for the championship which can only grow as it continues biennially.”

In addition to substantial media coverage in the home nation, all matches were available live on-line and there was television coverage of the final three days at the Express Avenue Mall.

Hein Verbruggen, President of SportAccord and an Honorary IOC Member, was a special guest at the championship. “I’m very pleasantly surprised for your federation,” said Mr Verbruggen after watching the final. “It was a breath-taking final – probably the best you could possibly have hoped for. India did a great job and I’m very happy I’m here.”

The introduction of a new world championship which bridges the gap between the junior game, which has for many years provided international competition at U13, U15, U17 and U19 levels, and the senior tours, was widely applauded.

Australian Rodney Eyles, the distinguished former world champion and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, was extremely enthused by the introduction of the U21 team event: “It’s very significant from Australia’s point of view. We’ve suffered over the years from the transition from junior to senior level – but we can now show our youngsters a good pathway, laying the foundation for the PSA and WSA Tours.

“The World Squash Federation have brilliantly orchestrated this and the countries have really supported it,” added Eyles.

“It’s exactly what we needed and I think it will really help inspire our youngsters to take up the game.”

The largest shopping complex in southern India attracted a near record crowd of over 75,000 on the day that India were playing in the first world squash final in the country’s history. Throughout the long final, a significant percentage of the crowd were either surrounding the unique ASB GlassCourt court or hanging over balconies of the three floors overlooking the spectacular all-glass showcourt which features a pioneering new glass floor with under-floor LED lighting.

It was a tall order for the hosts in the opening match where team number one Ravi Dixit, ranked 183 in the world, faced Egypt’s world No33 Marwan El Shorbagy, the highest-ranked man in the tournament.

The Delhi-born 20-year-old threw everything he had at the in-form world junior champion – and recovered from 2/0 down to win the third game, despite having to warm up a new ball at game-ball at 10-4.

But El Shorbagy, still only 18, stamped his authority on the next game to win 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 in 58 minutes – and put the favourites into the lead.

But the match of the championship then followed – in which the star of Indian squash Dipika Pallikal, the highest-ranked woman in the event, faced Egyptian rival Nour El Sherbini.

The head-to-head record between the pair was one-all – but 20-year-old Pallikal is currently ranked 14 in the world, nine places above the 16-year-old former world junior champion from Alexandria.

Chennai born-and-bred Pallikal took the opening game, but to the dismay of the crowd, Sherbini won the next two to move ahead.

The Egyptian maintained her control of the match to march on to match-ball at 10-6. But Pallikal was not about to concede and, urged on by the exuberant crowd, clawed her way back into the game – saving four match-balls to draw level.

The crowd erupted – shouting and screaming more than ever before – and it as some time before the local heroine was able to resume play. Twice more Sherbini moved to within a single point of the title – and twice Pallikal fought back before finally converting her own first game ball – having saved six match-balls – to win the game 14-12.

With crowd scenes and screams rarely witnessed before at a squash event, Pallikal returned to the court inspired. After losing two points from 8-3 up, she returned the next serve into the nick, delivered a delicate back hand drop shot again into the nick before winning the third on a no let to claim a sensational 11-7, 4-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-5 victory after 74 long minutes.

Pallikal was besieged by delirious fans and TV crews before speaking briefly to the crowd via the tournament MC.

Later, the Indian champion who is now coached by Australian legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald, admitted that the match had been her toughest of all-time. “I spoke to Sarah this morning and I knew she’d be watching – and all I could think about, when I was match-ball down, was what would I tell her when we next spoke.

“She had told me to keep going until the very end – the game’s not over until somebody wins – and that’s where I got my strength and confidence,” explained Pallikal.

“And I didn’t want to lose in front of my family and friends.”

With the crowd now sensing a shock victory, the semi-final hero Ramit Tandon took to the court to face Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad in the decider.

Gawad, a 20-year-old ranked 42 in the world, took the first game after a tie-break and then moved 2/0 ahead. But spurred on by the increasingly noisy crowd, Kolkata-born Tandon – ranked almost 300 places below his opponent – battled hard and took the third game to reduce the deficit.

But as the Egyptian reclaimed the advantage in the fourth, the crowd became more muted until Gawad eventually clinched his third match-ball to win 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 after 67 minutes to earn the title for Egypt.

“It was a quality match for both sides – but I’m happy we did it for the second time,” said Egyptian coach Amir Wagih, making reference to his country’s victory almost 12 months earlier in the senior World Cup in Chennai.

“But congratulations to India – we expected it to be tough, but we really enjoyed it.”

Indian national coach Cyrus Poncha was not wholly unhappy with the outcome: “If someone had said to me a week ago that we would be in the final, I would have taken it. What we achieved to get this far was brilliant – and today’s performances by our players were outstanding.

“Dipika and Ramit rose to the occasion and played brilliant squash.”

Earlier, second seeds England avenged their earlier shock pool defeat to France by beating the third seeds 2/1 in the Bronze medal play-off.

Top string Charles Sharpes made up for his previous loss to Lucas Serme by fighting back from 2/1 down to overcome the Frenchman 14-12, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5 in 76 minutes – the longest match of the tournament.

The pair came through junior ranks together, but Sharpes had not previously beaten the 19-year-old from Paris since 2009.

“Certainly this was a big match – both for me personally and for the team,” conceded Sharpes afterwards. “I’ve played Lucas so many times, since we were about ten years old, and we are good friends.

“But I just wanted to beat him to get revenge for the defeat earlier in the week. He’s a very strong player and that was a tough match. I switched off a bit in the third game – but stepped up the concentration in the fourth and fifth.”

Emily Whitlock, the 17-year-old who pulled off the biggest win of her life 24 hours earlier when she beat Egypt’s world junior champion Nour El Tayeb for the first time, faced France’s Cyrielle Peltier.

The English teenager maintained her blistering form in Chennai to put away 19-year-old Peltier 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 31 minutes to clinch victory for the jubilant England team.

“We’re all excited to be involved in such a great event which bridges the gap between juniors and seniors,” England coachDavid Campion told event MC Rochelle Rao. “All our players play on the PSA and WSA Tours, but playing for your country is different – and the experience they will get out of this will be second to none.”

England’s earlier defeat by France led to the second favourites having to face overwhelming favourites Egypt in the semi-finals.

“Yesterday was very disappointing, but at the same time encouraging – it inspired our players. Charles was a different player today and set up the situation beautifully for Emily to go through and win.

“And Emily definitely got our ‘man-of-the-match’ award today!” concluded Campion.

RESULTS: SDAT WSF U21 World Cup, Chennai, India

Final:
[1] EGYPT bt [4] INDIA 2/1
Marwan El Shorbagy bt Ravi Dixit 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 (58m)
Nour El Sherbini lost to Dipika Pallikal 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 12-14, 5-11 (74m)
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Ramit Tandon 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 (67m)

Bronze medal play-off:
[2] ENGLAND bt [3] FRANCE 2/0
Charles Sharpes bt Lucas Serme 14-12, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5 (76m)
Emily Whitlock bt Cyrielle Peltier 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (31m)
Declan James v Geoffrey Demont (match withdrawn)

5th place play-off:
[6] HONG KONG CHINA bt [5] AUSTRALIA 2/0
Yeung Ho Wai bt Jamie McErvale 4-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (58m)
Tong Tsz-Wing bt Sarah Cardwell 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 14-12 (70m)
Cheuk Yan Tang v Walter Koteka (match withdrawn)

7th place play-off:
[7] MALAYSIA bt [8] GERMANY 2/1
Affeeq Abedeen Ismail lost to Rudi Rohrmuller 7-11, 3-11, 7-11 (30m)
Rachel Arnold bt Franziska Hennes 11-13, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 (50m)
Sanjay Singh bt Valentin Rapp 11-4, 11-3, 11-2 (42m)

The clash on the unique ASB GlassCourt - an all-glass showcourt featuring a pioneering new glass floor with under-floor LED lighting – in the atrium of the largest shopping complex in southern India attracted a rolling crowd of some 50,000 partisan spectators, watching the action from vantage points on four floors.

Underdogs India, the fourth seeds, opened their account against third seeds France with Ravi Dixit taking on FrenchmanLucas Serme. The quality of the match which ensued belied the pair’s world rankings – 183 and 139, respectively – and after 65 minutes it was Serme who claimed the advantage, beating the 20-year-old from Chennai 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7.

“It was good playing in front of this great crowd – but I had to try and block them out and think of my team,” said the 19-year-old Frenchman. “I really enjoyed the match and I am very happy to win.

“It was definitely the toughest match of the tournament. I thought it would be an easier match than the one against Charles (Sharpes) – but I didn’t take into account the crowd. I mentally had to really push myself. I’m so happy.”

After the subdued reaction from the crowd, the decibels increased noticeably as local heroine Dipika Pallikal, the Chennai born and bred 20-year-old who boasts a world No14 ranking, took apart France’s Chloe Mesic 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 in just 26 minutes to bring the hosts back into contention.

Kolkata-born Ramit Tandon has seen his world ranking slip to 333 since taking up an Economics course at Columbia University in the USA last year. But the 19-year-old showed no signs of inferiority as he battled with Frenchman Geoffrey Demont, ranked almost 200 places higher.

Dixit took the opener, then responded to the Frenchman’s second game win by capturing the third for the loss of just two points.

Demont led briefly in the dramatic fourth – but it was Tandon who kept his focus to reach match-ball at 10-6. The Frenchman saved four before going on to have his own game-ball – but, urged on by the crowd and his hysterical team-mates, the local star finally clinched victory at the sixth attempt 11-5, 6-11, 11-2, 14-12 after 57 minutes to take his country into a historic final.

The crowd went wild and Tandon was quickly engulfed by his team-mates and other supporters on the court.

“We’ve worked hard for this – but I did feel a lot of pressure in that match,” admitted the beaming Indian star afterwards. “At 10-6 in the fourth, I just got too excited and made too many errors. But my team helped me through.

“It was great to play in front of such a big crowd – my brother and my Dad were here too, plus a lot of friends.”

After winning her earlier match, Pallikal said: “It was disappointing that we lost the first match – but I had to go on and just play my game.”

After the match which followed, the Indian champion added: “It was a nerve-wracking – but Ramit played incredibly well and it was a great result to get us into the final.

“It’s something we’ve all trained hard for – and it’s great that it’s happened here in Chennai.”

Indian national coach Cyrus Poncha was beaming from ear to ear: “It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling – and just great for Indian squash.

“It’s good to show the results of all the efforts over the last ten years – started by the commitment by Mr Ramachandran, now the WSF President, to invest in the Indian Squash Academy which has produced so many talented young players – including all the ones tonight.

“And Ramit was absolutely brilliant – his hands are world-class. Yet when he decided to go to the USA to study, I feared he might never play for India again. But because of his desire and the support from his parents he still continues to train over here – and the result are here for all to see.

“It was only a year ago that Ramit made a major contribution to India’s victory over favourites Pakistan in the Asian Junior Team Championship final – which resulted in our first regional title.”

In the earlier semi-final, favourites Egypt overcame England - but the second seeds surprisingly forced the tie into a decider after 17-year-old Emily Whitlock celebrated “my best win ever” by beating world junior champion Nour El Tayeb for the first time.

Marwan El Shorbagy, the rapidly improving world junior champion who now boasts a world ranking of 33, put Egypt into the lead as expected – but England’s Charles Sharpes stretched the match to four games before the 18-year-old from Alexandria claimed his 11-7, 12-14, 11-4, 11-6 win after 50 minutes.

El Tayeb had won the three previous encounters with Whitlock and now boasts a world ranking of 18 after leaping to 12 three months ago. But it was a ‘new-look’ Whitlock, ranked 15 places lower, who took to the court on this occasion – and after 41 minutes of dazzling squash came away with an 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 victory, in all three games coming from behind.

England’s hopes of a place in the final were dashed however when the Egyptian number two Karim Abdel Gawad beat tall 18-year-old Declan James 11-7, 11-8, 11-9.

“There was a lot of pressure on that match – but it’s a dream that we’re now playing in the final,” said Gawad, the world No42 from Alexandria, afterwards.

Egypt coach Amir Wagih acknowledged that the tie had lived up to expectations: “Matches with England always have a special atmosphere, like last year’s senior World Cup final, and today was no exception. Emily played a great game which meant that all the pressure was on Karim.

“And I am so pleased for him because he just missed out on being able to play in the world junior championship by two days. He deserves to be in a world final – he’s a quality player.”

But the England camp were full of praise for Whitlock’s stunning performance. “It was huge,” said England coach David Campion. “The whole point of being here is to learn from this world class environment.

“This was the best win of Emily’s career – and the fact that she did it here in this world arena makes it even more special.”

Whitlock herself could barely contain her delight – particularly after a debut earlier in the week which had left the European junior champion less than pleased with herself: “It’s awesome – I just can’t believe it. It’s definitely my best win ever. I’ve been really nervous recently.

“I know it’s a team event, but she was 12 in the world and I beat her! Maybe I really am quite good after all!

“Nour is actually a good friend of mine and she said to me when we arrived in Chennai that I should relax more – ‘you’re 33 in the world and you could beat people in the top 20′ she said.

“It’s shame I didn’t beat her in last year’s world junior championships – but I just wasn’t good enough then. I just didn’t believe in myself – but I know I’ve improved a lot since the British Junior Open last month,” concluded Whitlock.

RESULTS: SDAT WSF U21 World Cup, Chennai, India

Semi-finals:
[1] EGYPT bt [2] ENGLAND 2/1
Marwan El Shorbagy bt Charles Sharpes 11-7, 12-14, 11-4, 11-6 (50m)
Nour El Tayeb lost to Emily Whitlock 8-11, 10-12, 9-11 (41m)
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Declan James 11-7, 11-8, 11-9

[4] INDIA bt [3] FRANCE 2/1
Ravi Dixit lost to Lucas Serme 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 7-11 (65m)
Dipika Pallikal bt Chloe Mesic 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 (26m)
Ramit Tandon bt Geoffrey Demont 11-5, 6-11, 11-2, 14-12 (57m)

5th – 8th place play-offs:
[5] AUSTRALIA bt [7] MALAYSIA 3/0
Jamie McErvale bt Affeeq Abedeen Ismail 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 13-11 (63m)
Sarah Cardwell bt Tan Yan Xin 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 (35m)
Walter Koteka bt Sanjay Singh 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 (35m)

[6] HONG KONG CHINA bt [8] GERMANY 2/1
Yeung Ho Wai bt Valentin Rapp 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (50m)
Karman Siu lost to Annika Wiese 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11 (43m)
Wong Chi-Him bt Sven Lemmermann 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (30m)

Official website (including free live streaming and video on-demand): www.wsfworldcup.com

Earlier France, surprise winners over second seeds England the previous day, continued their unbeaten World Cup run by overcoming Hong Kong China 2/1 – thereby finishing in pole position in Pool B.

Fourth seeds India will face France in Saturday’s second semi-final – while Pool A champions Egypt, 3/0 winners of all their qualifying clashes, will line up against England in the first semi.

It was the opening day of play at the Express Avenue Mall, the largest shopping complex in southern India – with all the action taking place on the new ASB GlassCourt, an all-glass showcourt featuring a pioneering new glass floor with under-floor LED lighting.

Lucas Serme kicked off France’s semi-final bid – knowing that a win would put his country at the top of Pool B, and a loss to Hong Kong would put the two countries and England, all with two wins, into a matches countback for the pool’s two semi-final slots.

The 19-year-old from Paris put his team into the lead with an 11-3, 11-1, 11-6 win over the Hong Kong number one Yeung Ho Wai. But the sixth seeds struck back when 19-year-old Tong Tsz-Wing easily beat France’s Chloe Mesic 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.

And for the third time in three days, Geoffrey Demont found himself fighting for French honour with the tie poised at one-all. Once again the tall 20-year-old from Aix-en-Provence did not let his side down, giving his all for 33 minutes to beat Hong Kong’s 18-year-old Cheuk Yan Tang 11-6, 11-5, 11-5.

“We knew it would be very difficult for our girl, so we were relying on our two men,” said French team coach Philippe Signoret afterwards. “Geoffrey had to play the right game – and he did.”

Demont explained how he was able to deal with the pressure of an all-important decider for the team: “I tried to play it as if it was a PSA match – because when you lose, it’s all over. I imagined that I needed to win to get into the next round!

“I have learned to give it my best, as if it is the last game I play.

“If I think of the team, it’s too much pressure. It’s good that I am able to manage this pressure.

“But I was really happy to beat Ben (Coleman) yesterday,” continued Demont. “We knew each other well on the junior circuit. Yesterday was the best match I have played this season.”

The crowd in the seats surrounding the court – and overlooking the Express Mall atrium from four floors above – grew dramatically for the second tie when India took on Australia.

The hosts looked to be coasting to an early lead when top string Ravi Dixit, a ‘student’ at the city’s Indian Squash Academy, took a two-game lead over Queenslander Jamie McErvale and served at match-ball at 10-6 in the third.

But the 20-year-old Australian suddenly raised his game and forced the match into a further game. But Dixit regained his focus in the fourth and closed out the match 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9 after 58 minutes to put India into the lead.

“I was too confident after winning the first two games, and let my concentration slip,” admitted Delhi-born Dixit later.

There was eager anticipation for the next tie when local star Dipika Pallikal, the 20-year-old from Chennai who has risen to a career-high world ranking of 14 after a sensational run of form in recent months, took to the court against Sarah Cardwell, the 20-year-old daughter of Australian legend Vicki Cardwell.

The Australian did everything in her power to keep the Indian’s play under control – but it was Pallikal who had the upper hand for most of the game, ultimately winning 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 to clinch victory for her team – and a place in the semi-finals.

“Last year I was a very junior player and I know I have improved in all areas of my game since then,” said Pallikal when asked to explain the difference in her play from the senior World Cup at the same venue last March.

“We’re all under pressure but we’re playing to win – and all of us in the team are agreed that the main thing is to enjoy playing and play good squash,” continued the Indian champion.

Pallikal was also full of praise for the court and the new floor: “It’s great and the lighting is a huge improvement. It’s where sport is going and we need more changes like this to make squash more popular.

“It’s also great to play in front of such a big crowd that a venue like this shopping mall attracts,” added Pallikal. “You wouldn’t see all these people at the Indian Squash Academy.”

India’s national coach Cyrus Poncha was delighted with his team’s performance: “We did what the Indian cricket team couldn’t do.

“Dipika has become very focussed over the last few months – you can see it in her eyes.”

On his team’s semi-final prospects, Poncha added: “The French have beaten England, so we expect a tough match.

“We have never reached a final before in any WSF championship, so it’s something we’d really like to achieve.

“The WSF and its President Mr Ramachandran have done a great job in bringing this event to India, so it would be wonderful to do this at home.”

Earlier in the day at the Indian Squash Academy, England made up for the surprise defeat by France 24 hours earlier by beating Malaysia 3/0 – a win which ensured the second seeds a place in the semi-finals.

Top string Charles Sharpes avenged his French loss by beating Malaysian Sanjay Singh 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3 before 17-year-old Emily Whitlock scored her third successive World Cup win in a 28-minute 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 victory overRachel Arnold, the event’s youngest player at just 15 who was making her Chennai debut.

England wrapped up their maximum points win when squad number three Declan James defeated Marcus Yuen 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.

On an adjacent court, overwhelming favourites Egypt cruised to their third successive 3/0 win – and condemned eighth seedsGermany to their third defeat in a row.

With top string Marwan El Shorbagy rested, Karim Abdel Gawad led the Egyptian attack and dismissed Rudi Rohrmuller 11-6, 12-10, 11-8. World junior champion Nour El Tayeb maintained the top seeds’ winning run by beatingFranziska Hennes 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, before Mohamed Abouelghar sealed the team win in just a further 23 minutes, despatching Sven Lemmermann 11-7, 11-9, 11-6.

Official website (including free live streaming and video on-demand): www.wsfworldcup.com

RESULTS: SDAT WSF U21 World Cup, Chennai, India

Final qualifying round – Pool A:
[1] EGYPT bt [8] GERMANY 3/0
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Rudi Rohrmuller 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 (38m)
Nour El Tayeb bt Franziska Hennes 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 (25m)
Mohamed Abouelghar bt Sven Lemmermann 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (23m)
[4] INDIA bt [5] AUSTRALIA 3/0
Ravi Dixit bt Jamie McErvale 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9 (58m)
Dipika Pallikal bt Sarah Cardwell 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (42m)
Ramit Tandon bt Walter Koteka 11-1, 11-2, 11-4 (17m)

Final positions: 1 Egypt, 2 India, 3 Australia, 4 Germany

Pool B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [7] MALAYSIA 3/0
Charles Sharpes bt Sanjay Singh 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 11-3 (43m)
Emily Whitlock bt Rachel Arnold 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 (28m)
Declan James bt Marcus Yuen 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 (31m)
[3] FRANCE bt [6] HONG KONG CHINA 2/1
Lucas Serme bt Yeung Ho Wai 11-3, 11-1, 11-6 (36m)
Chloe Mesic lost to Tong Tsz-Wing 7-11, 6-11, 5-11
Geoffrey Demont bt Cheuk Yan Tang 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (33m)

Final positions: 1 France, 2 England, 3 Hong Kong China, 4 Malaysia

The third seeds opened up a surprise lead over England in the inaugural World Squash Federation mixed team event at the Indian Squash Academy when Lucas Serme, a linguistics student at the University of the West of England in the UK, beat higher-ranked Englishman Charles Sharpes 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 in 36 minutes.

The pair met each other regularly on the international junior circuit, most notably in the 2010 European Junior Championship semi-finals. But, since leaving their junior days, they have gone their separate ways – Serme into higher education and Sharpes onto the professional squash circuit.

“It’s a long time since we last played, so I really didn’t know what to expect,” said 19-year-old Serme, who manages to combine his studies with training every day and regular appearances in PSA World Tour events.

Though now ranked 87 in the world, more than 50 places higher than the Frenchman, Sharpes has been unable to beat his rival since 2009.

The hopes of the English camp were lifted shortly afterwards when 17-year-old Emily Whitlock, the reigning European junior champion, beat France’s Cyrielle Peltier 11-4, 11-1, 11-9 to level the tie.

But France fought back when Geoffrey Demont, a 20-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, beat England’s second string Ben Coleman 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 in almost an hour to lead to the first team upset of the event.

“We are lucky as we have a very strong number one and number two, with very little between them,” said the jubilant French coach Philippe Signoret. “Geoffrey has improved a lot over the past five months.

“There is always a great fighting spirit in matches we have against England – and it’s fantastic to have now beaten our great rivals for only the third time ever!

“It’s great to have won our second tie here – but it’s even more special that it was against England,” Signoret continued. “We will celebrate for about 15 minutes – but then we must focus on our last pool match tomorrow, the most important match.”

France will face Hong Kong, the sixth seeds who emerged as 2/1 winners over No7 seeds Malaysia in the earlier tie in Pool B.

Yeung Ho Wai gave Hong Kong the lead after a four-game win over Affeeq Abedeen Ismail, then Tong Tsz-Wingclinched victory in another four-game win over Malaysian Tan Yan Xin.

Malaysia took a consolation point when Sanjay Singh twice fought back from behind to overcome Wong Chi-Him in five games.

“Malaysia is the dominant country in Asia, so it’s good to get a win over them,” said Hong Kong team manager Wai Hang Wong. “The standard there is very high – but our performance showed that we have the ability to come close to them.”

Action in Pool A concluded with favourites Egypt despatching hosts India 3/0 – but the earlier tie saw an impressive fightback by Australia to beat Germany 2/1.

Australia were given a jolt when 20-year-old part-timer Rudi Rohrmuller put Germany into the lead after battling to a four-game victory in 62 minutes over Queenslander Jamie McErvale.

Sarah Cardwell, the 20-year-old daughter of Australian legend Vicki Cardwell, celebrated her maiden appearance in the event in appropriate style – crushing Germany’s Annika Wiese 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 in just 20 minutes to bring the fifth seeds back into contention.

A commanding performance saw Western Australian Walter Koteka beat Sven Lemmermann 13-11, 11-9, 11-0 to see Australian through – much to the delight of the team, and illustrious manager Rodney Eyles.

“To go 1/0 down in a three-rubber tie is always tough,” said the former world champion afterwards. “But Sarah stamped her authority on her game and took control – she really put some good stuff in.

“She’s certainly got her mother’s genes – she’s completely focussed when you put her in the green and gold!”

Eyles is extremely enthused by the introduction of the U21 team event: “It’s very significant from Australia’s point of view. We’ve suffered over the years from the transition from junior to senior level – but we can now show our youngsters a good pathway, laying the foundation for the PSA and WSA Tours.

“The World Squash Federation have brilliantly orchestrated this and the countries have really supported it,” added Eyles.

“It’s exactly what we needed and I think it will really help inspire our youngsters to take up the game.”

As expected, Egypt overwhelmed fourth seeds India – but the plucky home players, loudly supported by the biggest crowd yet at the Academy, put in impressive performances to make the favourites work for their win.

Chennai-based Ravi Dixit took a game from Marwan El Shorbagy and built up a commanding lead over the world junior champion in the fourth game. But El Shorbagy, now ranked 33 in the world, upped the pressure to close out the match 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10 – before former world junior champion Nour El Sherbini made sure of victory after beating Anaka Alankamony 11-6, 11-3, 11-7.

Indian number three Karan Malik took the opening game in the final match, but Karim Abdel Gawad came back to win 3-11, 11-9, 11-0, 11-3 to keep a clean sheet for the top seeds.

SDAT WSF U21 World Cup, Chennai, India

2nd qualifying rounds – Pool A:
[5] AUSTRALIA bt [8] GERMANY 2/1
Jamie McErvale lost to Rudi Rohrmuller 10-12, 12-10, 3-11, 8-11 (62m)
Sarah Cardwell bt Annika Wiese 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (20m)
Walter Koteka bt Sven Lemmermann 13-11, 11-9, 11-0 (30m)
[1] EGYPT bt [4] INDIA 3/0
Marwan El Shorbagy bt Ravi Dixit 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10 (44m)
Nour El Sherbini bt Anaka Alankamony 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 (25m)
Karim Abdel Gawad bt Karan Malik 3-11, 11-9, 11-0, 11-3 (31m)

Pool B:
[6] HONG KONG CHINA bt [7] MALAYSIA 2/1
Yeung Ho Wai bt Affeeq Abedeen Ismail 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4 (53m)
Tong Tsz-Wing bt Tan Yan Xin 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4 (39m)
Wong Chi-Him lost to Sanjay Singh 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 10-12, 6-11 (50m)
[3] FRANCE bt [2] ENGLAND 2/1
Lucas Serme bt Charles Sharpes 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 (36m)
Cyrielle Peltier lost to Emily Whitlock 4-11, 1-11, 9-11 (28m)
Geoffrey Demont bt Ben Coleman 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (58m)

Hosts India attracted the biggest crowds to the Indian Squash Academy where the fourth seeds took on Germany, the No8 seeds, in Pool A. After the second-ranked Indian man Ramit Tandon earned a hard-fought 11-2, 11-5, 12-10 victory in 45 minutes over the German number one Rudi Rohrmuller, the event’s highest-ranked player Dipika Pallikal cruised to an 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 win over Franziska Hennes in just 20 minutes to ensure victory for the crowd favourites.

Now ranked a career-high 14 in the world, Chennai born and bred Pallikal arrived home just 24 hours before the event started after celebrating her best Tour success in New York where she reached the final of the prestigious Tournament of Champions.

“There is always extra pressure on the first match of a new event, but I was very happy with the way it went – especially as I only got back from New York yesterday,” said the 20-year-old Indian champion who accredited her recent form to new coach Sarah Fitz-Gerald, the five-time world champion from Australia with whom she has been working for more than a year.

“I’m really enjoying playing in this event here at the venue that I grew up at – and it’s a close-knit team – we’re all really good friends,” continued Pallikal, whose hometown performance was supported by various members of her family including her father and grandmother.

Karan Malik continued the team’s winning run by beating Valentin Rapp 11-8, 11-6, 11-4.

“Ramit gave us a great start – I was delighted with the way he played,” said national coach Cyrus Poncha later. “He did extremely well to beat Rudi 3/0. Then we sailed through.”

On an adjacent court, event favourites Egypt despatched fifth seeds Australia with little trouble – top-ranked Marwan El Shorbagy, the reigning men’s world junior champion, beat Jamie McErvale 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 before the current women’s world junior champion Nour El Tayeb defeated Tamika Saxby 11-4, 11-4, 11-7.

Team number three Mohamed Abouelghar needed just 18 minutes to secure maximum points for Egypt, overcomingWalter Koteka 11-8, 11-7, 11-4.

“The first match is never easy and I made a bit of a slow start,” admitted 18-year-old El Shorbagy, who now boasts a new career-high world No33 ranking. “It’s a great tournament – I really like the format – and I always like to represent my country.”

El Shorbagy agreed that an international squash clash between Egypt and Australia is always a special occasion: “Australia have great players – and Rodney Eyles, their manager here, is one of the greatest players ever.”

Later in the day, England took on Hong Kong in the first tie on the centre’s all-glass court. Charles Sharpes led the second seeds’ campaign with an 11-1, 11-2, 11-8 win over Cheuk Yan Tang, a Hong Kong left-hander ranked more than 200 places lower.

England’s youngest player Emily Whitlock dropped a game en-route to her 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 victory over Karman Siu. “I was surprisingly nervous before the game,” admitted the 17-year-old European Junior (U19) champion.

“Emily’s too much of a perfectionist,” said team manager David Campion after Declan James wrapped things up for England with an 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 defeat of Wong Chi-Him. “She did a good team job for us.”

Campion continued: “They’ve got a strong system in Hong Kong so we knew what to expect. But we went in with a strong team and did what we set out to do, which was to get a good start.”

After his win, Sharpes said: “It’s good to get the first one out of way – I was a bit nervous about playing my first game, but I think I played well.”

James added: “It means a lot to me – getting to play in an England shirt is always an honour. It’s a fantastic and very well organised event.”

In the final tie of the day, Lucas Serme put third seeds France ahead against Malaysia after beating the seventh seeds’Affeeq Abedeen Ismail 11-5, 11-9, 11-9.

But the underdogs fought back to draw level when Tan Yan Xin beat French opponent Cyrielle Peltier 11-6, 13-11, 11-13, 11-2.

Order was restored, however, when Geoffrey Demont beat Malaysian Sanjay Singh 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 to give France a 2/1 win.

“We knew their girl would be good – but our boys played well,” said French coach Philippe Signoret. “Our players are not used to playing on the all-glass court.”

Was Malaysian team manager Raymond Arnold disappointed with the outcome of the final match? “No – we had hopes from the first match in which Abedeen led 7-2 in the second game and 6-2 in the third! He lost concentration – it was a new experience for him.”

 SDAT WSF U21 World Cup, Chennai, India

1st qualifying rounds – Pool A:
[1] EGYPT bt [5] AUSTRALIA 3/0
Marwan El Shorbagy bt Jamie McErvale 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (26m)
Nour El Tayeb bt Tamika Saxby 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 (28m)
Mohamed Abouelghar bt Walter Koteka 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (18m)

[4] INDIA bt [8] GERMANY 3/0
Ramit Tandon bt Rudi Rohrmuller 11-2, 11-5, 12-10 (45m)
Dipika Pallikal bt Franziska Hennes 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 (20m)
Karan Malik bt Valentin Rapp 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (33m)

Pool B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [6] HONG KONG CHINA 3/0
Charles Sharpes bt Cheuk Yan Tang 11-1, 11-2, 11-8 (28m)
Emily Whitlock bt Karman Siu 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 (35m)
Declan James bt Wong Chi-Him 11-6, 11-8, 12-10 (35m)

[3] FRANCE bt [7] MALAYSIA 2/1
Lucas Serme bt Affeeq Abedeen Ismail 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (31m)
Cyrielle Peltier lost to Tan Yan Xin 6-11, 11-13, 13-11, 2-11 (42m)
Geoffrey Demont bt Sanjay Singh 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (33m)

Players representing the eight squash nations taking part in the inaugural mixed team event took centre stage at the event hosted by the Squash Rackets Federation of India.

Asian Federation Coaching Director Major Maniam welcomed the guests and introduced the top table including Mr Rajkumar, representing the government’s Youth Welfare & Sports Development Department; SRFI Secretary GeneralSrivatsan Subramaniam; WSF President N Ramachandran; and WSF Technical Delegate Martin Wren.

In his opening speech, Rajkumar highlighted the fact that “sport is very important in character-building” and felt confident that over the next few days “many nations around the world will be proud of the effort their players put in on their behalf in the World Cup.”

After Rajkumar declared the World Cup open, Mr Ramachandran draped a special robe around the government representative, telling the audience that this is a traditional way of greeting a guest.

Mr Rajkumar then symbolically confirmed the event underway by cutting a special championship cake.

Egypt, led by the two reigning world junior champions Marwan El Shorbagy and Nour El Tayeb, are favourites to win the U21 World Cup, ahead of second seeds England, No3 seeds France, and hosts India as fourth seeds.

The final stages of the event will be held on an all-glass show court erected at the Express Avenue Mall, the largest shopping complex in southern India.

In Wednesday’s opening qualifying ties, Egypt take on fifth seeds Australia, and India face eighth seeds Germany in Pool A, while England line up against sixth seeds Hong Kong China in Pool B, and France meet No7 seeds Malaysia.

Mixed teams from eight nations will compete in the inaugural biennial event launched by the World Squash Federationwhich gets underway on Wednesday.

After early rounds at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai, the final stages of the U21 World Cup will be held on an all-glass show court erected at the Express Avenue Mall, the largest shopping complex in southern India.

Egypt, led by the two reigning world junior champions Marwan El Shorbagy and Nour El Tayeb, are the top seeds, ahead of second seeds England, No3 seeds France - and hosts India as fourth seeds.

El Shorbagy, the 18-year-old world No41 from Alexandria, reached last week’s quarter-finals of the Tournament of Champions in New York, becoming the first qualifier to appear in the last eight of the elite PSA World Series event for ten years.

Furthermore, team-mate Nour El Sherbini, a 16-year-old former world junior (U19) champion, made the semi-finals of the women’s Tournament of Champions unseeded.

But a surprise finalist in the event was 20-year-old Dipika Pallikal, the Indian senior champion from Chennai. The world No15 – the highest-ranked player in the World Cup – recorded her best ever success on the women’s World Tour in New York after overturning two higher-seeded opponents to reach the final as the seventh seed.

Australia team member Sarah Cardwell, the 20-year-old daughter of legendary former world No1 Vicki Cardwell, has also just shown her best form to date – winning her maiden Tour title this month at the Australia Day Challenge.

Charles Sharpes, a London-born 19-year-old who leads the England attack, took out the top two seeds in the first PSA World Tour ranking event of the year in France to notch up the fourth Tour title of his brief career to date.

The former British U17 and U19 national champion enjoyed an illustrious junior career, having represented his country at U15, U17 and U19 levels.

“If it wasn’t for an event like the WSF U21 World Cup, a player like Charles would be unlikely to play again for England for five years,” said England Squash & Racketball’s Head of Coaching & Performance Keir Worth. “And representative squash is so different.”

Sharpes, ranked 96 in the world, will be joined in the England squad in Chennai by 20-year-old Ben Coleman, 18-year-oldDeclan James, 20-year-old Carrie Ramsey, and 17-year-old European Junior Champion Emily Whitlock, the current No1 in the WSF World Junior Circuit Rankings.

“But the new event is also a good way to measure our success internationally – our players tend to come on later than others,” added Worth. “Charles is hitting form just at the right time and Emily, who is only 17, is also showing great promise – as is Declan, who is still at school.

“What makes this event unusual is that if you look at the draw, you will see that there are no easy matches – right from the early pool stages.

“But the real key is that the U21 World Cup establishes itself as a permanent fixture on the squash calendar – one that more countries can build into their future planning to give their players the chance to play representative squash earlier than might otherwise be possible,” concluded Worth.

Early action will take place in two pools of four teams each, followed by semi-finals on Saturday (4 February) and the final on Sunday.

Pool line-ups (with seedings in brackets):
Pool A: (1) Egypt, (4) India, (5) Australia, (8) Germany
Pool B: (2) England, (3) France, (6) Hong Kong, (7) Malaysia