[attach id=239269 size="medium"]Colette Sultana[/attach]

Colette Sultana won three matches and lost one to finish ninth at the French Junior Open, played recently in Lille.

The tournament, held across three venues and using 20 courts, attracted more than 200 players, including elite juniors from all over the world.

Sultana went up against Lea Van Der Zwalmen (France) in the first round.

She just missed winning the second game after a close tie-break with Van Der Zwalmen then going on the take the match 11-9 12-10 11-2.

Sultana’s next two matches were against Marie-Victoire Wickers and Louise Dudouit, both also from France.

She dominated the matches and won 11-5 11-1 11-0 and 11-4 11-2 11-8, respectively.

The next match proved to be more challenging for Sultana since her opponent was Finland’s no.2 Emilia Korhonen.

Sultana maintained her high level at the competition and won 11-9 11-5 11-5, finishing the match quicker than expected. After being classified ninth, Sultana, 17, should rise to a top-25 ranking in Europe in the U-19 category in her first year in this age group.

Sultana is currently based in the UK where she is combining training with studies at Millfield School.

She is coached by former world champion Jonah Barrington and Ian Thomas.

Last month, Sultana was in Malta and practised with Bradley Hindle Deguara, Malta’s top squash player.

He assisted Sultana with his extensive professional tournament experience.

Sultana’s next tournaments will be the Welsh Open (March 8-10 in Cardiff) followed by the Luxembourg Open (April 19-21).

Between these events she will be here to play in the Malta Open. In May she will join the national team at the European Team Championships in Amsterdam.

Sultana is supported by the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport (KMS) and the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC). She is sponsored by Harrow Sports.