The penultimate day of the 2022 British Junior National Championships threw up some surprises in the lower age groups, but the top two seeds in both of the U19 sections will do battle in the finals on Sunday.
In the Boys U19 competition, top seed Finnlay Withington (Lancs) overcame 3/4 seed Abd-Allah Eissa (Warks) to secure his spot in the final, with a straight games win. The Lancs man took the first on a tie-break, before going on to secure the victory. He will face Jonah Bryant (Sussex) after the No.2 seed got the better of Rhys Evans (Wales) in the last four, also with a tie-break win in the first game.
It will also be the top two facing off in the final of the Girls U19 competition. Torrie Malik (Sussex) dropped just ten points to defeat Layla Johnson (Yorks), while second seed Asia Harris (Yorks) got the better of Isabel McCullough (Kent) in straight games as well.
Top seed Alex Broadbridge (Hants) safely his way through to the final of the Boys U17, despite trailing 5/8 seed Cory Harding (Merseyside) in all three games. He will face Archie Turnbull (Wales) in the final. The Girls U17 final will also see an England-Wales battle. Top seed Amelie Haworth (Hants) came through her semi-final clash with 3/4 seed Meha Shah (Warks) in three games and will face Ellie Breach (Wales) after she came from two games down to deny Charlie mcCrone.
Top seed Ronnie Hickling had to fight his way through to the final of the Boys U15 event. He defeated George Griffiths (Hants) in a four-game battle. He will take on second seed Ismail Khalil (Warks) in the finalafter Khalil defeated Jake Johnston (Surrey) in straight games.
Emily Coulcher-Porter (Bucks), the top seed in the Girls U15 competition, defeated Harriet Broadbridge (Hants) to make her way into the finals day. She won in straight games to set up a clash with Mariam Eissa (Warks), who downed No.2 seed Reka Kemecsei (Sussex) despite losing the first game 15-17. She bounced back, dropping just seven points over the next three games to seal the deal and advance to the final.
There was a big surprise in the Girls U13 competition, as 3/4 seed Phoebe Griffiths (Hants) downed top seed Fearne Copley (Yorks) to make the final. Griffiths held the lead twice in their five-game contest, but saw the top seed fight back on both occasions. She eventually got the job done in the fifth game to move through to the final, where she will take on second seed Ameerah Ismail (Warks) who won her semi-final Esther Chak (Surrey) thanks to three 11-4 scorelines on Saturday.
Meanwhile in the Boys U13 competition, it will be the top two seeds Zack Greengrass (Sussex) and Ali Khalil (Warks) who will do battle in the final. Greengrass downed Noah Riley (Yorks) in four games, but Khalil got the better of Gilbert Harrington (Hants) in straight games, including a second game tie-break.
It will be a battle of the Browns on finals day in the Boys U11 category. Top seed Finley Brown (Leics) defeated Noah Selby (Essex) in straight games while second seed Oscar Brown (Leics) overcame Henry Smith (Suffolk) in a four-game contest.
In the Girls U11 semis 3/4 seed Charlotte Hall (Warks) came from two games down to beat second seed Maya Goel (Surrey) and she will now face top seed, Nadiya Ismail (Warks), in the final.
The inaugural Mixed U9 final will see top seed Thomas Earwicker (Surrey) take on 13/15 seed James Bissett. With three rounds played today, both won their semi-finals in four games, with Earwicker downing Ada Brown (Suffolk). while Bissett caused another upset to beat Fred Schur (Warks).
The action continues on Sunday Abbeydale and Hallamshire, beginning at 09.00 (remember the clocks go back tonight!) with all ten finals on the Glass Court at Abbeydale.
