Egypt’s Adam Hawal and Anahat Singh of India are favourites for the coveted U19 titles as the Alpha Bravo Construction British Junior Open (BJO) celebrates its centenary in Birmingham on 2 – 6 January.
Over 750 players from across the globe will descend on the University of Birmingham and Edgbaston Priory Club as well as three nearby squash venues for the 100th edition of the prestigious event, with 10 titles up for grabs across the five age categories.
BOYS
BU19 top seed Hawal feels he has “unfinished business” at the BJO after a run of bad luck scuppered his last two titles bids.
Hawal, who is coached by former world no.1 Karim Darwish in Cairo, sustained a hip injury in 2024 which hampered him during defeat to compatriot Youssef Salem in the BU17 final. In 2025, he had ankle surgery three days before the tournament and again lost in the BU17 final.
“The British Junior Open is really important for me,” said Hawal. “This will be my fourth time and I have been really unlucky on the last two visits. I hope that next time is going to be a charm. I know that I have more to offer.”
He added: “In Egypt, we play a series of tournaments to qualify for positions at the British Junior Open. All the players are killing themselves on every point. There is so much intensity, you can’t believe it. The British Junior Open matters to us so much.”
Hawal shot to fame in September after his shock victory over world no.3 Paul Coll in the second round of the Egyptian Open, acclaimed as one of the biggest upsets in squash history.
The 17-year-old’s sternest BJO title challenges are likely to come from compatriot Seifeldin Refaay, who beat him in last year’s U17 final, and Frenchman Amir Khaled Jousselin, the European Junior Champion who won three successive PSA titles at the start of this season. USA’s Christian Capella will hope to better his semi-final run last year, seeded [3/4] for this year’s edition. After finishing third in last April’s European Junior Championships, Czech Republic’s Martin Stepan [5/8] will be looking to avenge his last BJO loss against the eventual 2025 champion Eiad Daoud in the last 16.
Egyptians also dominate the top seedings in the younger boys’ age categories, with Farouk Mohamed favourite in the U17. One of his closest challenges could come from American Brendan Tagliarini [3/4] who’s had a successful 2025, including his semi-final run in the Pan American Junior U19 Championship earlier this year.
In the younger age categories, Hassan Abdelgalil tops the U15 with Yahia Waleed Rayan at U13 level, both hailing from the North African nation. But it’s USA’s Azlan Khan – son of Houston Squash Club founder Jahanzeb – who’s seeded no.1 for the U11 title.
GIRLS
Indian sensation Anahat Singh has reached the final in all five of her BJO campaigns to date, winning on three occasions. She has already won the Indian National Championships three times and 12 PSA titles.
The 17-year-old GU19 top seed is returning to the Birmingham venue where she first shot to fame at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She will face strong competition from France’s second seed, last year’s semi-finalist and European Junior Champion Lauren Baltayan. Also bidding for the GU19 title are two Egyptian [3/4] seeds, Sohayla Hazem Farouk and Malika El Karaksy.
The host nation’s best chance of success arguably rests with [5/8] seed Mariam Eissa in the GU17 event.
Hailing from Warwickshire, just a stone’s throw from Birmingham, Eissa won the U19 titles at February’s English Junior Championships and last year’s British Junior Championships, despite being only 15 at the time.
“For me personally, the British Junior Open is a very important tournament,” said Eissa. “It’s been a tough few months for many reasons, so this feels like my chance to get back on track and rebuild some momentum.
“The BJO is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the junior calendar. It also holds extra meaning for me because it’s so close to home. Having family and friends nearby makes it a really special event for me.”
Egypt’s Habiba Rizk is GU17 top seed, having won the U15 and U13 titles on her previous trips to Birmingham. USA’s [2] Isabella Tang and [3/4] Charlotte Sze will also be in the hunt.
The GU15 draw also sees Egypt and USA dominate the seedings with former U13 winner Layan Moustafa at no.1 and Vivienne Sze from Massachusetts at no.2. Serein Mohamed and Talia Eslam, both of Egypt, are the GU13 and GU11 top seeds respectively.
Watch the 2026 Alpha Bravo Construction British Junior Open live and for free here on the official website. You can also catch the action on SQUASHTV, Worldsquash.tv and esfsquash.tv.
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