The Shakiru Matti Squash Academy showcased its present and future at last month’s Canadian Junior Championships in Markhan, ON.
The Richmond-based program, which operates out of Sport Central, continued its excellent showing on the national stage in a variety of age divisions.
While Matthew Toth added to his family's already impressive accomplishments with a fourth place finish in the U19 Men’s Division and the Sportsmanship Award, the Matti Academy was turning heads at the youngest level as well.
Gabriel Yun, 12, reached the championship match before falling to No. 1 seed Mohamed Kamal of Alberta (11-9, 11-4, 11-9). Yun’s run to silver included an upset win over No. 2 seed Griffen Manley (12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5).
Ten-year-old Jacob Lin then put another Matti Academy player on the podium with his surprising four game win (11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6) over Manley in the bronze medal match. Meanwhile, Joseph Toth, who is also just 10, prevailed in the consolation bracket to place fifth, including a dramatic five game win over Alexander Yuzpe (11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10) in the final.
“This is not only exciting for our academy but for the sport of squash in Canada,” said coach Shakiru Matti. “What Jacob was able to do at his age was the talk of the championships. He and Joseph are already the players to beat at U13 next year.”
No. 2 seed Sarah Cao lived up to her status by reaching the girls U13 final before falling to Molly Chadwick — 12-10, 11-9. 12-10. Cao had not lost a game in three previous matches.
In the girls U17 draw, Cynthia Cao and Andrea Toth just missed out on podium finishes, placing fourth and fifth respectively.
Matthew Toth lost a bronze medal match heartbreaker — falling in five to David Mill, including a 13-11 score in the deciding game.
