[Q] Israr Ahmed (Pak)
11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (22m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (Pak)
RESULTS: PSA International 15 CNS International, Karachi,
Pakistan
Mehboob In Historic Karachi Title Triumph
Pakistani Farhan Mehboob brought the 2013 PSA World Tour
programme to an historic close in the final of the CNS International
in Karachi when he became the first player of the year to win a
title after beating the event's top three seeds.
The
unseeded 25-year-old from Peshawar made his breakthrough in the opening
round of the PSA International 15 squash event at the Roshan
Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex when he toppled third seed
Danish Atlas Khan.
Mehboob, the World No.147 competing in only his fifth Tour event of the
year, then removed second-seeded compatriot Farhan Zaman in a
hard-fought 61-minute semi-final.
Now in
the 10th Tour final of his career - and his first for more than a year -
the former World No.16 faced top seed Nasir Iqbal, the
19-year-old from Bannu who has been the country's highest-ranked player
since May.
The
stylish left-hander wasted no time in laying claim to the title of
Pakistan's best player when he despatched Iqbal, ranked 54 in the world,
11-6, 11-6, 11-5 in 51 minutes to successfully defend the title he last
won in 2008.
"It
was a big moment in my career, as critics had long written me down and
out and said my days are over, but now I proved all my critics wrong by
defeating the top seed Nasir and that too without any major difficulty,"
Mehboob told The Nation later.
"I
must thank head coach Jamshed Gul for spending a lot of time with
me in the training as it was his hard work which paid off. Another
motivation behind me was my father Mehboob Khan who also spent day and
night with me in the courts to polish my game and skills.
"I am
happy that the performance in this event is one of the best in my entire
career and I have not trained much before the event. I have to play the
likes of Danish, Farhan Zaman and now Nasir Iqbal, but I
managed to show outstanding skills against the three tough opponents and
won the title."
The
Karachi triumph marks the fifth PSA Tour title of Mehboob's career.
Farhans Face Fourth Home Battle In Karachi
Pakistan international squash players Farhan Zaman and Farhan
Mehboob will mark their fourth PSA World Tour meeting on home
soil after coming through today's quarter-finals of the CNS
International at the Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex
in Karachi in straight games.
Unseeded Mehboob, the defending champion, defeated compatriot
Muhammad Saqib Yousaf 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 in 35 minutes - while second
seed Zaman was a minute quicker reserving his anticipated place in the
last four of the PSA International 15 event in his 11-1, 11-7, 11-6
victory over fellow countryman Khawaja Adil Maqbool.
The
pair, both from Peshawar, will be replaying their first round battle in
the 2008 CNS International - which Mehboob won en-route to taking the
title.
Nasir
Iqbal
and 2008 runner-up Aamir Atlas Khan will feature in the other
semi after also surviving straightforward 3/0 quarter-finals. Top seed
Iqbal beat Tayyab Aslam 11-7, 11-1, 11-8 while fourth seed Khan
needed only 31 minutes to see off Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari
11-6, 11-9, 13-11.
Mehboob Downs Danish In Karachi Upset
Farhan Mehboob upset
fellow Pakistani Danish Atlas Khan according to the seedings of
the CNS International - but today's home soil victory in the
first round of the PSA World Tour International 15 squash event
at the Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Karachi
was underdog Mehboob's third in a row, yet the toughest, of the pair's
Tour tussles since 2010.
Left-hander Mehboob, a former World No.16 now languishing at 147
in the PSA world rankings, took 114 minutes to clinch his 14-12, 11-6,
7-11, 9-11, 11-9 win over No.3 seed Khan - and will now face fellow
non-seed Muhammad Saqib Yousaf, who took 70 fewer minutes to get
the better of qualifier Muhammad Asim Khan 11-6, 14-12, 11-6.
Mehboob, a 25-year-old from Peshawar, is in fact the title-holder
of the long-established Pakistan circuit event which was last on the PSA
World Tour in 2008.
Twice runner-up Mansoor Zaman's bid to reach a third final
came unstuck in the opening round when he went down 11-4, 11-3, 11-8 to
fourth seed Aamir Atlas Khan.
Top seed Nasir Iqbal also survived his opening encounter
in straight games, beating Waqas Mehboob 11-9, 11-4, 11-7.
The 19-year-old World No.54 from Bannu will now line up against
fellow countryman Tayyab Aslam for a place in the semi-finals.
