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Power crowned Master as Sarah tames Owens By R. Ravi Kumar Gulf Times, Sun 28th JONATHON Power put young Aussie pretender Stewart Boswell in his place to lift the $120,000 Qatar Masters trophy yesterday while squash legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald won the $60,000 Grand Prix but not before overcoming a stubborn challenge from her rival Carol Owens. Power of Canada took more than an hour to show Boswell who’s the boss in four tightly contested games 3-1 (15-10, 15-7, 8-15, 15-13). World No 2 Owens of New Zealand provided ample evidence that the world No 1 from Australia is human after all - and almost beatable - before throwing in the towel 2-3 (9-6, 9-5, 5-9, 7-9, 4-9) in a 74-minute duel. In the men’s final, world No 3 Power neatly imposed a well-crafted game plan on his 23-year-old rival. Luring Boswell to the front of the court, the Canadian, who has played the whole week with an injured ankle, retreated to the back to unleash some stunners. The first game was pocketed without much trouble 15-10 by Power in 20 minutes. Power, who has twice won the world championships in Doha, buried Boswell under a ton of pressure in the second game with a 10-2 lead. The Aussie, who packed off world No 2 David Palmer in the last four on Saturday, struggled with his rhythm throughout and simply could not find the range. A bulk of his shots went into the tin and he lost vital points and the second game 7-15. “Jonathon came out pretty good. He was at the back of the court and put me under a lot of pressure. I was tired too,” said Boswell. However, Power lost his focus in the third game, something which is not unusual with the Canadian. Before long, Boswell had Power ranting with the referees while stacking up a healthy lead. The young gun had his nose ahead 8-4 and got one back on the board 15-8 in 15 minutes. But this was not good enough to rein in his curly-haired opponent. Power zoomed ahead 5-1 in the fourth game at which stage a momentary loss of concentration saw six points slipping by. Advantage changed hands and Boswell was now leading 9-7. Power however garnered five points in a row for 12-9 and suddenly another twist was added to the plot. Boswell equalised at 13-13 but was saddled with a penalty for blocking his rival when a return was being attempted. Staring at a match-point, the Aussie put one into the tin crowning Power as the Master. “I am happy to have played so well despite my injury,” said Power. “I played well on Saturday and today, but I can play better. There is always room for improvement.” “I am kind of glad because I pushed Jonathon around a bit. He showed up a few weaknesses in my game and I have to work on it,” said Boswell, who is trained by squash great Rodney Martin. “The first two games in both matches, against Peter Nicol in the semis on Saturday, and today was my best squash. But I lost focus in the last two games. I was getting nervous and losing my way,” said Power. “I was not getting my shots and started thinking about it. That affects your game.” In the women’s final, current British Open champion Fitz-Gerald showed signs of tiredness, an after-effect of Saturday’s five-game marathon tussle against Cassie Campion. Owens got off to a dream start in both the first and second games. Four points in a row, from 4-3 to 7-3, put the Kiwi on a roll but her 33-year-old rival quickly came back with three points of her own to inject some respectability into her tally 7-6. However, Owens took the next two points and the game 9-6. In the second game, Owens was trailing till midway 4-5 when she corrected matters with a flurry of points, five to be precise, to pocket the game 9-5 and get ahead 2-0. In the third, the Kiwi was again in the driver’s seat with a 4-1 lead but had clearly reckoned without Fitz-Gerald’s mental strength and physical stamina. A burst of five points, from 2-4 to 6-4, and then again three more saw the Australian pulling one back 9-5. Suddenly the match was wide open. “I thought I would go down 3-0. Then I said to myself ‘you are No 1’, and dug in. I nearly had her in the first and the second and I just had to stick with my game plan. I stayed relaxed and once I got the third game I knew the fourth would be just as hard. I would have to break her spirit again,” said Fitz-Gerald. In the fourth game, it was Fitz-Gerald’s turn to up the ante 4-1. Owens however kept pace with her and the game neck-and-neck with the Kiwi even managing to plug the leak to just two points short of her rival 5-7. But Fitz-Gerald’s angled shots and anticipation were too good and parity was restored 2-2 (9-7). Fitz-Gerald went into the decider with her spirits high and simply swamped Owens with a spate of winners. With a lead of 5-1 it was just a matter of time before Fitz-Gerald sewed up matters 9-4 with a forehand which was well out of Owen’s lead. Power received a winner’s cheque of $16,000 while runner-up Boswell had to be content with $10,000. Fitz-Gerald went home richer by $10,000 and Owens got $8,000 for her efforts. |
“I am happy to have played so well
despite my injury,” said Power. “I played well on Saturday and today, but
I can play better. There is always room for improvement.”
“I thought I would go down 3-0. Then I
said to myself ‘you are No 1’, and dug in." |
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Test of Nicol’s Power today ENGLISHMAN PETER Nicol and Jonathon Power of Canada quelled feisty Egyptian challenges yesterday to set up a mouth-watering semi-final encounter in the $120,000 Qatar Masters while world No 1 Sarah Fitz-Gerald cruised into the women’s Grand Prix last four. World No 2 David Palmer of Australia waged a see-saw battle of nearly two hours to overcome Thierry Lincou’s stiff French resistance 13-15, 15-12, 15-13, 12-15, 15-11, and will now face in the second semi-final fellow Aussie Stewart Boswell who is fast making a name for himself on the circuit with his tenacious fighting qualities. In the event, Boswell was the first to book his berth in the last four after edging out Lee Beachill of England in an acrimonious 78-minute duel. Boswell won 15-5, 14-17, 15-9, 15-6. In the second match of the day, Power defeated Amr Shabana, easily the most talented player from the Egyptian stable of squash stars, in straight games 15-9, 15-13, 15-6. Shabana had on Thursday beat Pakistani Shahid Zaman quite easily 15-12, 15-8, 15-2 while Power got past Paul Price of Australia 15-12, 15-13, 15-2. The Canadian, ranked third in the rankings tree, got into his groove early and had stacked up a 8-4 lead when Shabana found his touch and equalised at 8-8. But Power brought into play his superior experience to pocket four points from 11-9 to get his nose ahead. The second game turned out to be quite close with the 22-year-old Egyptian zooming ahead 5-1 with some determined hitting. But Power gummed up the gap 5-5, and then slowly pulled away to 10-6. Shabana, however, fought back and suddenly his rival saw the score being levelled at 10-10. At 12-all, Shabana’s backhand smacked into the tin and he lost a crucial point which could have dented the Canadian’s confidence. Power quickly shut the door at 15-13 before further damage could be done. “He is a very talented player and dangerous. He played well today and the second game was touch-and-go for me,” said Power. The third game was easy for Power as he set the pace while Shabana completely lost the plot. After trailing 7-3, there was no way the Egyptian could put himself back into the game which he lost 15-6. “I tried to force him to play at the front of the court but he turned the tables,” said Shabana who has now lost to Power five times but will enjoy the satisfaction of having put tremendous pressure on his opponent. Shabana’s compatriot Karim Darwish also lost but took the bow with his head high. The young Darwish played an uncompromising brand of squash which had world No 1 Nicol nodding in appreciation. With the first game going to Nicol 15-7 in 15 minutes, Darwish pulled up his socks but could not come up with the right counter for the champion’s game. Down two games after the second’s loss 5-15, the Egyptian tied the score at five-all and then put Nicol behind 9-7 in the third. However, the British Open champion hit back with stunning reflexes at the front of the court to draw level at 10-10. Darwish garnered three consecutive points at this stage for a psychologically important 13-10 lead, and later the game point. However, unforced errors ensured that Nicol climbed back to level the score, booking his place in the last four with a one-point settler 15-14. “It was a hard game. I thought I played really well in the first two games but in the third I made a couple of mistakes. He played extremely well,” said Nicol. “I am playing well and haven’t dropped a game so far.” Nicol had good reason to be wary of Power, his semi-final challenger. “I have played him around 30 times and just lead the head-to-heads 16-14. Power loves this court and has traditionally done well here. But I have had to change my style to adjust to this court. It will be a hard match.” In the women’s Grand Prix, Linda Charman-Smith of England beat compatriot Stephanie Brind 9-7, 9-3, 9-2 to reach the semi-finals where she will play against Carol Owens of New Zealand. Title-favourite Fitz-Gerald of Australia thrashed Suzanne Horner of England 9-0, 9-4, 9-2 for a last four berth against Englishwoman Cassie Campion who lost to Owens 3-9, 5-9, 3-9. |
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Big guns start booming Gulf Times, Thu 24th By R. Ravi Kumar TOP seeds Peter Nicol and David Palmer booked their spots in the round of 16 yesterday in the Qatar Masters while Sarah Fitz-Gerald routed Stephanie Brind in the women’s Grand Prix finals round robin matches. Nicol, who now represents England instead of Scotland, is carrying the form which fetched him his second British Open title and had little trouble sending out Rodney Durbach of South Africa in straight games 15-6, 15-10, 15-10. On the other hand, David Palmer toughed it out against fellow Aussie Anthony Ricketts who took a game off the former world No 1. At the end of the match, the score read 3-1 (10-15, 15-8, 15-10, 15-10) in favour of Palmer. Among others who advanced further into the event were world No 5 Frenchman Thierry Lincou, Joseph Kneipp of Australia and Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia. The left-handed Nicol started by picking up five straight points, completely unsettling Durbach. Another spate of points went to Nicol, from 9-2 to 13-2, and the first game was under his belt 15-6 in less than 10 minutes. However, Durbach shook himself up and put up a fight in the second and third games. But the challenge was not strong enough to ruffle Nicol, whose winning trek to the No 1 spot started here in Doha where he won the Qatar Classic. While Nicol’s all-court coverage and experience was there for all to see, Durbach too produced some stunning winners. In the second game, he patched up 5-5 but never once did Nicol slacken his grip over the lead. Four points in a row sealed the second game for the British Open champion 15-10. Durbach seemed to be regrouping and playing to his advantages in the third game but Nicol had him on the ropes after some deft touchplay which pulled in the points. The match was over in 35 minutes. “It is difficult to carry the same form into the next week but this is what I would be hoping for,” said Nicol who now faces Kneipp in the second round. Earlier, in the ‘Battle of Australians’, Palmer gambled by dropping the first game 15-10 against training partner Ricketts, but this paid off. “I didn’t want to go too fast in the match so I decided to lose the first game. The ball got colder in the second and slowed down and I started playing my natural game,” said Palmer. The burly Aussie collected the next three games by resorting to his usual aggressive hitting. “He is one of the finest players here. My strategy was a bit risky but I wasn’t too worried. On a good day I would love to win 3-0 but I had to change my plan a bit today,” said Palmer who lost to Nicol in the Classic here last October. Egyptian Karim Darwish made up for compatriot Mohamed Abbas’s shock exit by defeating Englishman Del Harris 3-1 (11-15, 15-12, 15-12, 15-11) to set up a second round tussle with Abbas’s conqueror Ong Beng Hee. In the Grand Prix, Fitz-Gerald beat Brind at her usual express pace in straight games 9-0, 9-4, 9-1. The match was over and done with in under 15 minutes. “The scoreboard doesn’t reflect the fight she is capable of putting up,” said the popular Fitz-Gerald of her utterly demoralised rival. “She will get better as she plays on.” Cassie Campion of England defeated Rachael Grinham of Australia 9-3, 9-0, 9-7 while New Zealander Carol Owens got past Fiona Geaves of England 9-1, 9-1, 9-3 in other matches. |
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Irked players ready to snub British Open Gulf Times, Thu 24th By R. Ravi Kumar The prestigious British Open’s days could be numbered. In a stormy meeting which took place in Doha on Monday between the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the world’s top players, the oldest tournament in the world got the thumbs-down from both sides. While the players were vocal about the plummeting standards of the Open, particularly the prize-fund, the PSA, under pressure from the players, refused to bail out the British Open in the future by way of concessions. If the organisers of the 72-year-old tournament want the game’s top performers to strut their stuff for them, then they have to up the prize-money and raise overall standards of the event. This is the message loud and clear. “The PSA now have a standard procedure where we like to meet our top 32 players and get feedback about tournaments,” said Robert Edwards, world technical director of the PSA. “During our stay here in Doha, we got the first opportunity to meet the players after the British Open and there have been a number of negative things said about the event.” “We are delighted to have the Open registered as an event, obviously, but what we would like to see is the Open becoming a huge event, like the Qatar tournaments and Hong Kong, paying respectable $100,000-150,000 prize-money, and offering the best facilities.” “Sadly because the British Open has struggled with sponsorship in Britain and because professional squash at tournament level has almost disappeared there, the quality of the Open has diminished as a top event.” “The players still want to hold the title of British Open champion but in this day and age of professionalism, it has to come with the entire package.” The British Open offered just $50,000 (for men) as prize- money this year. This is nowhere near the mouth-watering paycheques being offered by, for instance, by Qatar or Hong Kong. But the PSA provided the Open with points on par with a Super Series event, forcing many a reluctant player to take part in it for fear of losing vital points, notwithstanding the peanuts as prize-money on offer. World No 3 Jonathon Power was one such ace who admitted he had to perforce play in the Open. “I was very vocal at the meeting on Monday night. The PSA in a sense forced me to play by offering big points while the prize-money was next to nothing,” said the Canadian. “I can’t risk losing the points because I am a professional.” “If the Open registers itself as a $10,000 event then we would accept it. But players like Power and Peter Nicol would not take part in it,” said Edwards. “They would probably say ‘Thank You’ but we are not interested.” “The PSA will put the issue before the promoters during the next board meeting in June in London. And at that time we’ll discuss the PSA’s involvement with the Open.” Edwards firmly ruled out any more concessions to the Open. “No. There are no concessions now available. We did it once by offering it points but now professionalism has to kick in. We did it because it is the oldest event in the world. We did it because it was having a rough time. Now it will have to stand on its own.” Edwards, however, admitted that if the PSA were to have a change of heart on this matter the players would not back it. “We encouraged the players to save the British Open. But I can tell you the players won’t do it again. They would wish it well but they will definitely not play in it as things stand now.” But the WISPA (Women’s International Squash Players Association) has no problems with the prize money the British Open is offering. “We will be a part of the Open and the WISPA has no problem with the prize-money being offered there,” said Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who also wears the hat of WISPA president. “The British Open means a lot of history and tradition and winning it means a lot to us,” said Fitz-Gerald who won it last week. “I don’t know what happened with the men and it won’t be fair to comment. But we are pleased with the Open,” added Fitz-Gerald. |
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Zaman sends Evans packing Gulf Times, Wed 24th By R. Ravi Kumar YOUNG Pakistani Shahid Zaman refused to be overawed by former British Open champion David Evans’ credentials and carved out the biggest upset in the first round matches of the $120,000 Qatar Masters yesterday. Others who joined Zaman in the round of 16 were world No 3 Jonathon Power of Canada, Lee Beachill of England and Stewart Boswell of Australia. The vastly-improved Zaman shunted out the tall Welshman in straight games 3-0 (15-8, 15-14, 15-13) and the demolition took less than an hour. Evans, who is coming back from injury, could not find his rhythm and was thoroughly upset with the quality of refereeing which was poor, to say the least. Zaman, however, had no such problems as he hit his stride from the word go. The Pakistani took seven points in a row to open up a yawning 12-5 lead in the first game. Evans managed to add just one more point to his tally before his rival went one up 15-8. “I have been working hard on my game and the results are showing,” said the soft-spoken Zaman. “I have added three more shots and this is helping me a lot.” In the second game, Evans worked hard to match Zaman’s pace and succeeded to an extent. The game went neck-and-neck but no sooner had the 27-year-old Welshman got his nose ahead, his rival promptly closed the gap. With the score tied at 14-14, Zaman asked for a one-point settler and got it when Evans hit the ball into the tin. “The refereeing was poor but that is no excuse. I shouldn’t have let that affect me,” said Evans. In the third game, Zaman used his angled shots to rake in the points. The side-walls were used to good effect and Evans could hardly get his racquet to the ball. “He is very talented and has many winning shots,” said Evans after losing the third game and match 15-13. “I was playing him for the first time and this is a good win because he is a former British Open champion,” said Zaman. “This will add to my confidence.” Evans was disappointed with his poor show. “I am coming back from injury and the year so far has been up and down. I am struggling to get my confidence back.” Among the big names in the fray yesterday, Power wasted no time in packing off Frenchman Renan Lavigne in 50 minutes. The score was 15-10, 17-16, 15-4. The Canadian, who has won two tournaments this year and tasted his first loss only last week in the British Open semi-finals, caught fire early on in the first game and wrapped it up before Lavigne could find his bearings. But the Frenchman came back in the second game and aided by Power’s mistakes levelled the score 14-14 after trailing 11-7. However, when it came to holding his nerve, Lavigne failed and let his rival win the game after a three-point decider 17-16. Power simply shut out Lavigne in the third game with an unassailable 11-0 head-start. Lavigne could get only four points on the board, allowing Power into the second round. However, Power was less than pleased with his performance. “I am not at all happy with the way I played. It was tough settling down. I think I need a couple of more matches to find my flow,” said Power. “I lost my first big match only last week in the whole year and this has obviously rattled my confidence. But a few more matches and everything will be alright.” “My goal is to regain the No 1 spot which is currently with Peter Nicol,” added Power. In other first round action, Stewart Boswell was stretched a bit by Simon Parke of England 15-10, 7-15, 15-6, 15-4. But the Aussie was never in trouble and the loss of the second game can be attributed to a momentary lapse of concentration which was quickly corrected. Paul Price, also from Australia, defeated Tommy Berden of The Netherlands 15-7, 15-8, 15-12, while crowd favourite Amr Shabana of Egypt dropped the first game before collecting the next three against Paul Johnson of England 13-15, 15-8, 15-12, 15-6. Today, the women launch their campaign with Sarah Fitz-Gerald battling against Linda Smith. In the next match, Carol Owens takes on Cassie Campion while Stephanie Brind clashes with Suzanne Horner. Men’s world No 1 Peter Nicol and No 2 David Palmer will also be in action today. |
From Chris Walker, in
Qatar
We had a feast of different dancers from around the world including tap
dancing, Tango, Samba and Brazilian as well as some of the top
sports people of Qatar gracing the stage before
the opening match began. Even though it's I would go as far as to say that Qatar is
setting new standards for Squash around the world!
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World’s best ready to battle By R. Ravi Kumar Gulf Times, Tue 23rd IF YOU are a squash buff then Doha is the place to be in now. A veritable feast of the sport starts today at the Khalifa Squash Complex as the world’s best players assemble for the Qatar Masters and Grand Prix in an attempt to get over the ‘disappointment’ of the recently-concluded British Open. After sweating it out for a paltry $50,000 in the 72-year-old British Open which was hit by grave sponsor problems, the players would be battling for respectable stakes here in Doha. The total prize money for men is $120,000 while the women’s fund is pegged at $60,000. Red-hot current world leaders Peter Nicol and Sarah Fitz-Gerald lead the seedings in the five-day tournament. Both are current British Open champions too. Others who would be strutting their stuff include world No 2 David Palmer of Australia, Canadian Jonathan Power, and British Open finalist Scotsman John White. On the distaff side, eight players would be playing on a round-robin basis. Power opens his campaign against Frenchman Renan Lavigne while White takes on Stefan Castelyn of Belgium. Others in the fray today are promising Pakistani youngster Shahid Zaman, Englishman Lee Beachill and Alex Gough of Wales. “The contest is wide open. Anything can happen here,” said White who is carrying his fine British Open form into this tournament. “One could have an easy first round but in the second come up against someone good. You never know...” “My strategy is to prepare a game-plan and execute it. This is what I did in the British Open and it reaped me rich benefits,” said White who lost to Nicol in the final. The Scotsman spoke for the others when he gave the thumbs-up to Qatar as one of squash’s major destinations. “There was always talk of Qatar hosting the Masters because Cairo is struggling financially. We wanted it to be held here because we are really happy with the way the Classic was conducted in October,” said White. However, French No 1 Thierry Lincou did not expect to be here so soon. “I would have never believed it had I been told that I would be coming again to Doha so soon. Last year’s experience of the Classic was wonderful,” said the Marseilles-based Lincou. “Here everything is perfect. I love this place.” Third seed Lincou starts his campaign tomorrow against Egyptian Omar Elborolossy. “I have beaten once before. But he is capable of a good match and I will have to be at my best.” “I try to be ready for anything and am quite focused on each opponent,” added the 26-year-old Lincou, who has been playing squash since he was eight years old. Others young guns who could boom here are Stewart Boswell and Anthony Ricketts from down under. “They are the ones to watch out for as they are putting a lot of pressure on the top players,” said White. Ricketts lost to Nicol in the Pakistan Open semi-finals and faces compatriot Palmer in the first round tomorrow. Beachill, who has won the British Nationals for the second time running, is another player who could pose a problem or two for the stars. Today’s schedule Centre Court (7.15pm): Jonathon Power vs Renan Lavigne, followed by Paul Price vs Tommy Berden, followed by Stefan Casteleyn vs John White. Court No 2 (4pm): Graham Ryding vs Lee Beachill, followed by David Evens vs Shahid Zaman. At 7.15pm: Simon Parke vs Stewart Boswell, followed by Paul Johnson vs Amr Shabana, followed by Olli Tuominen vs Alex Gough. Wanted: Sponsors for the British Open GULF TIMES EXCLUSIVE BY R. RAVI KUMAR THE British Open is at the cross-roads. Sponsors have deserted it in droves and the latest edition of the 72-year-old tournament was held only after last-ditch negotiations between the sport’s governing body, the PSA (Professional Squash Association), the players and the sponsors. The event did take place but not before the PSA, with extreme reluctance, agreed to grant it the points and standings of a Super Series event. The prize money was whittled down to just $50,000 (for men), drawing howls of protest from the players. Last night, a crucial meeting was underway at the Khalifa Squash Complex between the PSA, represented by its world technical director Robert Edwards, and the top 32 players to, more or less, decide the fate of the British Open. The number one item on their agenda was: Future of the Open. “There is great fear among the players regarding the longevity and standards of the British Open. It is the oldest event in squash and everybody respects it but the organisers are struggling for sponsors. And compared to the level of tournaments being held in the Middle-East, the Americas and Asia, the Open’s charm has been greatly reduced,” said Edwards. “The players are going to advise me of their feelings regarding the tourney. Everyone wants a British Open and we want it to be a major event.” The Open was salvaged this year from sure doom when the Manchester City council stepped in and the event was moved to Manchester for the last three days. But perennial sponsorship woes have kept the tournament on tenterhooks for the last four years. So, does the game need a helping hand from well-meaning sponsors from outside the United Kingdom? This brings us to the next question. Could a generous Qatari sponsor respond to the British Open’s SOS? Considering the dire straits of the event, such alternatives no longer remain confined to the realms of imagination. “We have considered this idea seriously,” said Edwards, “where the British Open is produced and directed by qualified people with sponsorships from outside the UK. And the sponsor could be anyone.” When prodded further to reveal if he was in talks with anyone in Qatar for such a life-saving deal, Edwards said that the first name which would come to his mind in such an eventuality would be Qatar Squash Federation’s Nabeel Ali bin Ali. “If ever sponsorship came out of Britain, I would be the happiest man on earth if Nabeel approached us with an offer. If Nabeel says I would like to talk to you about the British Open, my eyes would light up.” Edwards listed the benefits for any such sponsor who threw a life-line to the Open. “The sponsors can attach their name to the oldest and most prestigious squash event. And if the event is revitalised then the media will hail the sponsor as the saviour.” Ali bin Ali’s reputation in the squash world is impeccable. Qatar now hosts two of the biggest events in the circuit - the Classic and the Masters. And both are well organised, making both the PSA and the players tip their hats to Ali bin Ali. “I have conducted more than 150 major tourneys so far, excluding the minor ones, but the Qatar events are my favourites,” said Edwards. He echoes the view of the players among whom apprehension is rife that it could be curtains for the British Open. “It’s a shame that the British Open’s standards have fallen so much. We played for a very small amount there. This is bad for squash,” said Thierry Lincou, the French No 1 and Open semi-finalist. “To lose the British Open would be devastating. But the way it is going we are all afraid. From the point of view of a squash professional it has to be saved,” said Open finalist John White. “Maybe they can learn a thing or two from these people. The Qatar tournaments are the best, no doubt about it.” |
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All set for Masters Gulf Times, Mon 22nd THE Qatar Squash Masters and Grand Prix kick off tomorrow with a galaxy of stars participating in the premium event which is set to re-establish Qatar’s pre-eminence on the sport’s calendar. With $120,000 at stake in the men’s category and $60,000 on the distaff side, tough competition is expected on the Khalifa Squash Complex courts through 23-28 April. Recently crowned British Open champion Peter Nicol leads the men’s field while crowd favourite and also British Open women’s champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald is the player to beat in the women’s Grand Prix event. The tournament comes on the heels of the just concluded first ever Qatar Satellite Circuit event which was won by Pakistani Farrukh Zaman. “Our aim is to afford as many opportunities are possible to Qatar’s budding players,” said Qatar Squash Federation chief Nabeel Ali bin Ali. “Such tourneys will help them to gain international experience.” The second leg of the satellite event is scheduled for May 9-11 with 16 players confirming their participation. About the Masters, Ali bin Ali said that all preparations were in place and the players had already started arriving. “A grand opening ceremony has been planned on the 23rd at 6.30pm,” said the QSF chief. A rich slew of cultural programmes - American tap-dancers, Samba and Tango dancers - is on the cards. “Our goal is to set in place an entertaining package for the Asian Games 2006. We are also planning a ceremony in which Qatari gold medal winners of the ‘80s-’90s will be honoured,” added Ali bin Ali. |
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