Juan Jose Torres Lara makes history at WSF World Junior Squash Championships
August 14 2022
Juan Jose Torres Lara of Colombia battled hard against Rowan Damming in the quarter-finals of the World Squash Federation (WSF) World Junior Squash Championships before eventually being denied 11-8 9-11 11-8 11-9 by the 17-year-old 5/8 seeded Dutchman.
The unseeded Colombian Juan Jose Torres Lara had produced the shock of the tournament with a stunning 5-game victory over Egypt’s 3/4 seed Kareem El Torkey in the 3rd round of the championships which made a return in Nancy, France after a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Juan Jose Torres Lara had looked impressive in his opening two matches, beating Joseph Tooth of Canada 11-5 11-9 11-1 in the 1st round & Youssef Elgammal of Germany 11-4 11-4 11-9 in the 2nd round, & was able to increase his level further with a rollercoaster 3-2 victory over Kareem El Torkey to progress to the last 16.
The Colombian made the perfect start to recover from 9-8 down to take the opening game 11-9 & forced his way into a morale-boosting 2-0 lead by taking the 2nd game by the same 11-9 score line.
El Torkey, however, recovered well to win the next two games 11-7 & 11-4 to take the match into a deciding fifth game. The Egyptian seemed to have weathered the storm & looked set to complete the recovery by establishing an 8-4 lead, Juan Jose Torres Lara was not to be denied & taking advantage of mistakes from his opponent, pulled back from 9-7 down to claim a memorable 11-9 11-9 7-11 4-11 11-9 win.
Afterwards, Juan Jose Torres Lara said: “I love my country, I’m so proud of it & I feel that helps me a lot. Especially in tournaments like this, where Egypt is normally the best country, beating them with my country on my back helps motivate me so much.
Juan Jose Torres Lara ensured that he made history by becoming the first Colombian player to reach the quarter-finals of the WSF World Junior Squash Championships with a clinical 13-11 11-7 11-3 win over India’s Krishna Mishra in the round of 16.
The unseeded Colombian Juan Jose Torres Lara had produced the shock of the tournament with a stunning 5-game victory over Egypt’s 3/4 seed Kareem El Torkey in the 3rd round of the championships which made a return in Nancy, France after a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Juan Jose Torres Lara had looked impressive in his opening two matches, beating Joseph Tooth of Canada 11-5 11-9 11-1 in the 1st round & Youssef Elgammal of Germany 11-4 11-4 11-9 in the 2nd round, & was able to increase his level further with a rollercoaster 3-2 victory over Kareem El Torkey to progress to the last 16.
The Colombian made the perfect start to recover from 9-8 down to take the opening game 11-9 & forced his way into a morale-boosting 2-0 lead by taking the 2nd game by the same 11-9 score line.
El Torkey, however, recovered well to win the next two games 11-7 & 11-4 to take the match into a deciding fifth game. The Egyptian seemed to have weathered the storm & looked set to complete the recovery by establishing an 8-4 lead, Juan Jose Torres Lara was not to be denied & taking advantage of mistakes from his opponent, pulled back from 9-7 down to claim a memorable 11-9 11-9 7-11 4-11 11-9 win.
Afterwards, Juan Jose Torres Lara said: “I love my country, I’m so proud of it & I feel that helps me a lot. Especially in tournaments like this, where Egypt is normally the best country, beating them with my country on my back helps motivate me so much.
Juan Jose Torres Lara ensured that he made history by becoming the first Colombian player to reach the quarter-finals of the WSF World Junior Squash Championships with a clinical 13-11 11-7 11-3 win over India’s Krishna Mishra in the round of 16.