The Gemmell Cup & The Arjun Gupta Memorial Trophy Winners, with Arjun’s parents, Ajay and Anita Gupta.
This past weekend, the 2024 Ontario Junior Closed Championships presented by HEAD took center stage at Mayfair Lakeshore in Toronto, where Ontario’s top junior athletes showcased their skills and determination in Boys and Girls U11, U13, U15, U17, and U19 divisions.
Known as the pinnacle of provincial junior squash competition, the event brought together high-performance players in a fiercely competitive and exciting atmosphere. Squash Ontario is thrilled to report that participation in this event has grown 17% from last season.
A special thank you goes out to HEAD, our sponsor for this year’s championship, whose support ensures Squash Ontario can deliver an exceptional experience for all players and spectators. Additionally, our gratitude extends to Mayfair Lakeshore, tournament chair Ben Hatcher and tournament referee Sofia Navadeh, whose efforts ensured the event ran seamlessly throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, we held a special courtside presentation to honor the champions in the U19 categories with two iconic trophies: The Gemmell Cup for the Girls U19 Champion and The Arjun Gupta Memorial Trophy for the Boys U19 Champion. Wasey Maqsood has won the BU19 trophy back-to-back seasons, with last year’s finalist, Sasha Lee, reigning victorious in 2024. These trophies, generously donated by the Gemmell and Gupta families, carry deep significance.
The Gemmell Cup symbolizes the dedication, tenacity, and passion that embody Ontario squash, while the Arjun Gupta Memorial Trophy honors the legacy of one of Ontario’s most celebrated junior players. We were privileged to have the Gupta family in attendance to present the trophies and share heartfelt words about Arjun and the impact he left on our community.
Congratulations to all the athletes for their incredible performances this weekend! Your dedication and hard work continue to inspire us all. Best of luck to those heading into international competitions in the coming weeks —we will be cheering you on every step of the way.
Full results can be found at the link below:
Thank you to everyone who made this tournament a success. Please see below for photos of our Champions, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Boys U11 left to right: Mikael Humayun (3rd), Wali Maqsood (Champion), Xander Wayland (2nd).
GU11 left to right: Alyssa Rizvi (4th), Nadia Elahi (3rd), Camille Rizvi (Champion), Naomi Kim (2nd).
BU13 left to right: Gabriel Chen (2nd), Chase Facchin (Champion), Christopher Loukas (3rd).
GU13 left to right: Laila Bayaha (2nd), Lyvia Han (Champion), Liangda Cui (3rd).
BU15 left to right: Yianni Theodoropoulos (2nd), Arman Takmazyan (Champion), David Lee (3rd).
GU15 left to right: Zara Khalil (3rd), Lauren Kerr (Champion), Violet Oliver (2nd).
BU17 left to right: Shaan Jolly (2nd), Beckett Yuzpe (Champion), Logan Simmons (3rd).
GU17/U19 left to right: Zoe Chong (2nd), Sasha Lee (Champion), Charlotte Ghaeli (3rd).
BU19 left to right: Ben Hatcher (Tournament Chair), Wasey Maqsood (Champion), Ethan Jain (2nd), Lynsey Yates (Squash Ontario Executive Director).
BU19 left to right: Wasey Maqsood (Champion), Arham Izhar (3rd).
The Gemmell Cup & The Arjun Gupta Memorial Trophy Winners: Wasey Maqsood and Sasha Lee, with Ajay and Anita Gupta.