[WC] Abbas Shoukat (PAK) 11/3, 11/7, 11/5 (25m)
v [2] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
President Gold Cup
International Tournament, Islamabad, Pakistan,
PSA M25,
Iqbal
Captures President Gold Cup Title
Pakistani No.1 Nasir Iqbal secured his biggest ever PSA World Tour
title win with a 3-0 triumph over Todd Harrity in the final of the
President Gold Cup International Squash Tournament, PSA M25 event.
Iqbal upset top seed Omar Abdel Meguid in the semi-final to book his
place in the showpiece event while Harrity held off Egypt’s Karim
Ali Fathi in five to reach the final.
The first game was a tightly-contested affair with neither player
giving the other an inch as they each sought to take the initiative.
A late charge from Iqbal saw him pull away to record an 11-9 victory
and earn a hard-fought lead.
United States-based Harrity continued fighting in the second but was
repelled in his efforts to change the momentum of the match as Iqbal
held firm to double his lead.
Buoyed on by a home crowd and the attendance of Pakistani legends
Jahangir and Jansher Khan, Iqbal upped the tempo in the third game
to see out an 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 win and pick up his ninth PSA World
Tour title in the process.
Iqbal
Downs Meguid To Reach President Gold Cup Final
World
No.44 Nasir Iqbal upset top seed Omar Abdel Meguid on home soil in
the semi-final of the President Gold Cup International Squash
Tournament, PSA M25 event with a stunning 3-1 triumph to reach the
final.
The 21-year-old went down in the opening game to his higher-ranked
opponent who played a number of consistent shots to establish an
early lead.
Buoyed on by a partizan home crowd however, Iqbal fought back
brilliantly to take three games without reply, racking up a 6-11,
11-7, 11-4, 11-9 victory to secure his place in a third PSA World
Tour final of the year.
He will meet Todd Harrity in the showpiece event after the number
four seed battled to a 3-2 win against Karim Ali Fathi in the other
semi-final fixture.
Punishing Matchups Ahead At President Gold Cup
The President Gold Cup International Squash Tournament, PSA M25 main
draw gets under way on Saturday November 7 with Omar Abdel Meguid
taking the favourite tag amongst a hugely competitive draw.
Meguid reached the final of the CAS International Squash
Championship last month but bowed out in the final qualifying round
of the Qatar Classic.
With nine PSA World Tour titles to his name, Meguid is one of the
likely candidates to take the crown, particularly as his last one
came in Pakistan.
The Egyptian lines up against Asim Khan in round one as he aims to
get off to a winning start.
Karim Ali Fathi lost to Meguid in the semi-final of the CAS
International and will hope to improve on that record this time
around.
The Egyptian is tied on nine PSA World Tour titles with his
compatriot and kickstarts his bid to add a 10th against wildcard
Abbas Shoukat.
Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal is the leading home hope for the tournament
and, with a partizan crowd behind him, could be a good bet to lift
his third PSA World Tour crown of 2015.
Iqbal’s last three PSA World Tour titles have come in his home
country and he faces off against Waqar Mehboob in round one.
Todd Harrity currently sits at a career-best World Ranking of World
No.61 but is still searching for his maiden PSA World Tour title of
the year. United States-born Harrity last lifted silverware at the
2014 Madison Open but has the potential to cause an upset in
Islamabad. Israr Ahmed awaits Harrity in the opening round.