Emily Whitlock staged a fantastic fightback to win the Girl’s Under-17 title at the British Junior Open in Sheffield, defeating Egyptian Yathreb Adel in an enthralling contest.
Whitlock, the first English Junior to win the competition since 2010 Commonwealth silver medallist James Willstrop eight years ago, looks set for 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 11-8 but was dominant in winning the second game 11-1 to bring the scores level. After going behind in the third, Macclesfield-born Emily showed true grit to fightback and secure an overall 3-2 win.
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 and 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 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 the board of directors at England Squash and 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 BJO title, against the very best in the world, and it gives Emily a springboard to a very exciting future. Congratulations to her."
