Emily Whitlock has become the first English winner of the British Junior Open champion since 2002 after winning the Girl’s Under 17 title in Sheffield.
by beating Egyptian Yathreb Adel in an enthralling contest.
Whitlock, the first English Junior to win the competition since 2010 Commonwealth Silver Medallist James Willstrop in 2002, looks set to have a bright future in the game. Her opponent, Adel, was in great form following her semi-final victory over the competition’s top seed.
In front of a packed crowd Whitlock lost her opening game against Adel (8-11) but was dominant in the second (11-1) to bring the scores level. After going behind in the third, Emily showed her true British grit to fightback and secure an overall win of 3-2.
Whitlock said: "It still hasn’t sunk in that I’ve won this competition. I worked really hard to achieve this because the draw was extremely difficult and I had to face a tough Egyptian opponent in each of the final stages. I felt confident after winning the second game but then fell behind again in the third which made me a bit nervous.”
“I kept fighting and my dad’s encouragement really spurred me on. The end of the game is a bit of a blur but I’m really happy that I managed to win the title.”
Jim Lord, Operations Director at England Squash & Racketball, said: “Emily’s a great example of a young talent who is prepared to work hard in order to succeed. She is a real credit to England Squash & Racketball and her potential can take her career to great heights within World Squash.
“We always look for our young athletes to succeed and the fact that she is the first to do so in this competition, since James in 2002, is a boost to everyone.”
Zena Wooldridge Chair of England Squash & Racketball said: “We’re delighted, excited and very proud of Emily’s historic win. It’s a just reward for her hard work and focus, and the support of her family in achieving such a landmark in her young playing career. You only have to look at the list of previous winners to recognise just how talented you have to be to win a title, against the very best in the world, and it gives Emily a springboard to a very exciting future. Congratulations to her.”
ONES TO WATCH
Emily Whitlock
Emily Whitlock’s success at the British Junior Open has shot her to new heights, her name with be etched in the history books forever alongside some legendary squash names.
The 16-year-old from Cheshire reached a career high senior world ranking of 77 this month after successfully balancing playing both junior and senior events.
Whitlock is part of England Squash & Racketball’s transitional squad which helps players make the move between junior and senior squash. As well as receiving coaching and support from ESR, Emily also receives funding to help her reach her potential which has been increased since her British Junior Open success.
2010 was a triumphant year for Emily, with her winning the British Junior U17 Championships, Dutch Junior U19 Open, German Junior U19 Open and Austrian Junior U19 Open.
Fiona Geaves, ESR’s Junior High Performance Coach has pinpointed Emily as one of the brightest stars of the future.
“The last English female to win the British Junior Open was Tania Bailey in 1998 as an Under 19 and Tania has been one of England’s best female players, so the future looks bright for Emily” said Greaves.
“Emily is a real role model to the rest of the juniors, she has grit and determination and is committed to achieving exactly what she wants. She’s a player that will give 100% every time she steps on court, she is confident in knowing what her goal is and then achieving it,” added Geaves.
“Emily has received excellent guidance from both the ESR performance programme and her family in order to succeed, she is getting the balance between junior and senior squash spot on to help build her career,” said Geaves.
Ollie Holland
Ollie is one of the up and coming junior boys from England Squash & Racketball’s performance programme. Based in Nottingham, Ollie is part of TASS (talented athlete scholarship scheme) which is an initiative that includes 10 boys & 10 girls from the age of 15 upwards who are in full time education. The selected players receive funding to help with coaching, tournament expenses, strength & conditioning, medical and lifestyle support. In addition ESR hold 4 National training camps at the National Centre in Manchester.
The 16-year-old reached the semi-finals of the 2011 British Junior Open after ending 2010 on a high by winning the British Junior U17s Championships.
Fiona Geaves, ESR’s Junior High Performance Coach commented, “For the past year Ollie has got so much stronger, he’s a real passionate and dedicated young boy with the talent to become one of the top players in the professional game.”
“He’s been one of our most talented juniors for a long time and has only benefited from his time representing England at both the European Juniors and World Junior Championships,” Geaves added.
Lucy Beecroft
Lucy is 14-years-old and based in Northumbria, she is currently the British Junior U15s National Champion and reached the quarter-finals of the U15s British Junior Open.
She has been described as having a very bright future in the game by Junior High Performance Coach Fiona Geaves.
“The first time I saw her hit a ball I thought wow, she has great natural talent. Like Emily she has a really positive future ahead of her and this year she is our number one player at the U15 age group. “
England Squash & Racketball’s Regional Coach for the North East, David Duncalf said: “Lucy has made excellent strides in the last 12 months culminating in her winning the National Championships and getting further than her seeding suggested in the British Junior Open.”
“Lucy has a real drive to win mixed with natural ability this also lead her to represent England for the first time in 2010 which will really help her to mature as a player,” Duncalf added.
The talented youngster said: “I am really proud to be involved with ESR and the National training setup. My ambition is to progress to playing squash professionally and I get great support from ESR and the National coaches in striving towards my goal. Representing England at International level is a great honour and I hope I can continue to do so in the future.”