Sussex teen prepares for prestigious international squash tournament

Junior squash players from around the world will travel to Birmingham for the event taking place from 3-7 January. This comes at an exciting time for the sport, as these players can now be considered Olympic hopefuls, following the announcement that squash will be included in the LA28 Games.

Jonah Bryant, from Shoreham-by-Sea, is set to compete as the highest seeded Brit in the tournament. It comes after Jonah won the National Junior Championships (BU19’s) in October and since then, Bryant has won his first senior PSA event, the Wye Valley Brewery Stourbridge Open, as the sixth seed. That win saw Bryant jump 23 places and he is now ranked 146 in the world at just 18.

He is going into the Open as the 3/4 seed in the boys U19 category. He is one of the UK’s brightest prospects and, with squash to feature at the Olympic, he has a real chance of representing Sussex, and Team GB, at the Games in LA.One of Bryant’s main challenges for the title will be number two seed, Melvil Scianimanico, who despite having a lower PSA world ranking than Bryant, will undoubtedly prove to be a main competitor for the Brit in the latter stages of the competition.

However, top seed Mohamed Zakaria, will likely be the biggest obstacle to success for Bryant. The Egyptian, still only 16-years-old is already ranked 78 in the world, with three PSA tour wins to his name. Zakaria also defeated Bryant by three games to love in their latest head-to-head, adding to the tension ahead of their potential rematch in January.

England Squash CEO Mark Williams spoke about the British Junior Open and how important it is to the sport. He said: “We are looking forward to another fantastic event featuring the best young squash players from all over the world and we are delighted that so many players are travelling to Birmingham once again to complete.

“We are very proud of the prestige and heritage of the British Junior Open and it is hugely exciting to remember that the winners will be etching their names into squash history, alongside so many famous players that have gone on to excel on the world stage.”

The Open has been hosted in Birmingham since 2018 having been Sheffield-based previously and the event will take place across four venues, Edgbaston Priory Club, University of Birmingham Sport and Fitness Centre, Solihull Arden Club and West Warwickshire Sports Club.

For more information, including how to watch the games, visit: www.britishjunioropen.com, or to find out how children can get involved in squash locally, visit: www.squashstars.co.uk.