Timonaliz Alarcos-Kriebisch feels she has “improved so much” since joining the ESF junior circuit in 2025 where she proudly flies the flag of Papua New Guinea.
Timonaliz won the Bulgarian Junior Open U13 title in April before graduating to the GU15 age group, in which she soon lifted the Luxembourg and Finnish Junior Open trophies before finishing runner-up in the recent Nordic Junior Open in Malmö.
The 13-year-old grew up in Papua New Guinea, daughter of a German brewer, Tim Kriebisch, and a PNG-born mother, Merlyn Alarcos, who was Director of the island’s premier squash club, Port Moresby, and has held various roles at the national squash federation (she is currently Secretary).
Timonaliz showed promise as a tennis player before taking up squash, then when the family moved to Brisbane, Australia, she was taken under the wing of renowned coach and Malta international player Bradley Hindle at the city’s Daisy Hill Squash Club. She won the Australian Junior Open U13 title in 2024 and was ranked no.1 in the country for her age group.
“Bradley really took care of me and helped me a lot with my game,” she says. “There were a lot of kids at Daisy Hill and I made a lot of friends. It was a true club full of people I was really close with.”
Mum Merlyn says: “When Brad watched her technique, he said she ticked all the boxes. He invested a lot of time in her. He told us, ‘She’s kind of special, you need to take this further.'”
Timonaliz’s move to Europe
Last December, the family relocated to Salgelse, an hour’s drive from Danish capital Copenhagen, as Timonaliz’s father Tim got a new job with Harboe brewery.
“It’s a big change and we are still adapting to it,” says mum Merlyn. “We’re trying to fit in and the kids are learning Danish before they get into proper schooling.”
The move put the family within reach of tournaments on the European junior squash circuit and Timonaliz settled into the scene very quickly with severable notable successes. Next on her calendar are the Swiss and Scottish Junior Opens in December and the British Junior Open in January.
“I enjoy so much going to the different countries and playing on the European tour,” she says. “It’s different to Australia because here there are events nearly every week.
“Competition-wise, there are better players in Europe. It’s not like there’s one or two good players, all of them are experienced and can play well.
“Not many people play on the European tour under the Papua new Guinea flag. I’m really happy reaching finals in these tournaments.
“I feel like I’ve improved so much in the last 10 months. I am very excited for the British Junior Open. There will be lots of Egyptians there and I am excited to see where I fit.”
Timonaliz has found a local fitness trainer in Salgelse but the family are still seeking a squash coach. They travel twice a week for training to Herlev Squash Club near Copenhagen.
The recent focus on her speed and agility paid off at the Nordic Junior Open, where Timonaliz won silver, as well as the recent Oceania Senior Regional Championships in Samoa, where she narrowly missed out on a bronze medal despite playing against adults.
“We are extremely proud parents and we feel she can do a lot more and increase her ranking in Europe,” said mum Merlyn.
“Everything is possible for her,” she added. “We don’t usually see PNG athletes on the European squash circuit so it makes me very happy to see this. We can’t wait to see what else Timonaliz can achieve.”
