Bermudian youth prospect Mason Smith experienced a rollercoaster opening to his campaign at the United States Junior Open Squash Championship in Philadelphia. Competing in the Boys Under 12 Division, Smith demonstrated remarkable resilience after suffering a gut-wrenching defeat in the main draw.
Smith’s tournament began with a marathon five-set encounter against Canada’s Cayton Zichen Liu. The Canadian appeared to be in total control early on, clinical in his execution to take the first game 11-5 and the second 11-6.
Faced with a 2-0 deficit, Smith began an inspired fightback. He clawed his way back into the match by edging the third game 11-9 and then dominated the fourth 11-4 to force a decider. However, in a tense fifth game that swung back and forth, Liu regained his composure to secure the match 11-9 and advance to the next round.
Despite the disappointment of the main draw exit, Smith immediately found his rhythm in the Consolation Round. He opened his account with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Raghav Swaminathan of the United States, navigating the match with scores of 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, and 11-9.
Building on that momentum, the young Bermudian secured a spot in the Round of 16 with a flawless performance against George Qureshi. Smith, who has previously faced Qureshi on the Canadian junior circuit, controlled the match from the outset to win in straight sets, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.
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