10 March 2025

This year’s ONCOCARE National Junior Championships (NJC) promises to be an exciting one, with all the action taking place at the Kallang Squash Centre on 18-22 March 2025. With an overall increase in participation compared to the last two years, expect to see familiar faces among our defending champions, and new challengers to the titles.

This year features a new U9 division for our younger, aspiring athletes to make their debut in the annual national junior event. For some of these younger juniors, they no longer need to compete against much older and bigger-sized opponents, but have a shot at the title themselves.

The U11 categories will see new champions crowned as both defending champions have aged out. In the Girls’ event, competition is expected to be tough, with Naomi Ng and Lum Yui Yee seeded to meet in the final. Chua Yi Cheng and Mason Han top the Boys’ draw, and the pair look determined to dominate their age category, unless we see some surprise upsets.

Having started the year as Asia’s top U11 girl, Kareena Sashikumar, who brought home six international titles last year, will be the clear favourite for the GU13 title. If all goes to seeding, she is expected to face Mabelle Sy, a Singaporean living in Canada and currently ranked third in Canada’s GU13 division. However, watch for joint-third seeds Kelihla Cheong and Tiana Ho, both of whom have improved tremendously since becoming a part of the National Training Programme. 

On the boys behalf, BU13 top seed Kaelen Evan Low will be playing his third NJC this year, having come in first place (BU11) last year, and second place the year before. Challenging him to the title will be second seed and good friend, Timothy Kok, who finished third place last year.

In the GU15 category, last year’s Champion and top seed Naisha Singh will be defending her title from second seeded Jacintha Han, winner of last year’s GU13 category, and last year’s GU15 semi-finalist Jayna Lim. Expect some close matches as the trio were teammates in the team that won Singapore a bronze medal at the recent Asian Junior Team Championships in Hong Kong, China.

In the BU15 category, 2024 Champion and top seed Rehaan Singh is expected to defend the title against second-seeded Jackrish Sashikumar, who was last year’s U13 Champion. However, they will both potentially face a fierce fight from teammates Adiv Gole and the much-improved Sean Wong in the last four. Rehaan will also be contesting for the BU19 title as the second seed, an amazing feat and a bold challenge for the plucky youngster.

Last year’s U17 and U19 champions, Ethan Kuan and Ong Zhe Sim next to Dr. Tay Miah Hiang of ONCOCARE

In the U17 and U19 age categories, the spotlight shines on Ong Zhe Sim and Ethan Kuan, two powerhouse athletes who have consistently proven their dominance across multiple age categories. 

Zhe Sim will once again defend her titles in both the GU17 and GU19 events, having held them both since 2022. While she remains the favourite for the GU19 event, Vicky Lai and former champion Gracia Chua, who is likely to land a spot in the top four, are expected to be serious title contenders. Zhe Sim can also expect the company of Saiesha Ranjan – who captained Singapore to a bronze medal at the Asian Junior Team Championships last month – in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Ethan will continue to set his sights on the BU17 and BU19 categories. Having previously won them both in 2024, he is expected to extend his double-title streak since winning the BU15 and BU17 categories in 2023. All eyes will also be on the in-form Rehaan Singh, seeded second in the BU19, to mount a serious challenge to the title.

We look forward to this year’s ONCOCARE National Junior Championships where our young athletes will be competing at the Kallang Squash Centre, defending their titles and showcasing how much they’ve improved over the past year. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and news from the upcoming NJC, and do check out our recent article on our title partner ONCOCARE here – ONCOCARE’s Dr. Tay gives back and hopes to inspire those who are successful to do the same