CCI PSA International Championship 2014 - Quarter-final
Results
Qualifier Farag Takes Title At CCI In Mumbai
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Egyptian World No.192 Ali Farag (below left) capped a
sensational week of squash in the Indian city of Mumbai by defeating
Pakistan's number one player Nasir Iqbal (below right) in the final
of the CCI PSA International Squash Championship earlier today.Farag
triumphed in the final of the International 25 competition courtesy
of an impressive 3-2, 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-1, 11-9 victory over
high-flying World No.53 Iqbal to cap what has been a momentous week
for the the 22-year-old from Cairo.
Having only earned his berth in the main draw
courtesy of two hard-fought victories in qualification, Farag first
stunned tournament favourite and World No.16 Saurav Ghosal in round
one before defeating Kristian Frost Olesen and Zahed Mohamed, the
tournament's number eight and six seeds, to set up a title-decider
with number three seed Iqbal.
It was Farag who started brighter in the tournament
decider but Iqbal, the 20-year-old from Peshawar, fought back to
take a 2-1 lead as he looked to add to the FMC Pakistan
International Circuit and Emerson Racquet Club Pro Series titles he
won earlier this year.
But Farag showed his composure to force the match
into a dramatic decider before prevailing by the narrowest of
margins, taking the crucial fifth game 11-9 to win his first PSA
World Tour title since 2012.
“It was a very tough match,”
said Farag in the wake of victory.
“He came back by playing better and smarter
especially in the fifth game and all I had to do was keep going.”
“It was a close match and anybody could have won,”
said runner-up Iqbal.
“As much I wanted to win the title, this tournament
was very good for me.”
Qualifier Farag Books Final Berth At CCI
In Mumbai
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Egyptian qualifier Ali Farag, the man
who knocked tournament favourite Saurav Ghosal out of the
competition in the opening round, booked his place in the final of
the CCI PSA International Championship in Mumbai earlier today.
22-year-old Faraq continued his
sensational form this week, following up his wins over Ghosal and
number eight seed Kristian Frost Olesen by scalping compatriot and
sixth seed Zahed Mohamed in a 56-minute 11-7, 15-13, 10-12, 11-6
win.
Faraq, who last reached a PSA Word
Tour final in 2012, will face Pakistan's World No.53 Nasir Iqbal in
tomorrow's final after the 20-year-old from Peshawar overcame a
determined challenge from Indian No.2 and World No.75 Mahesh
Mangaonkar to register an 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 win in the second
semi-final.
It promises to be an absorbing
contest between the pairing, with Iqbal hoping to add to the FMC
Pakistan International Circuit and Emerson Racquet Club Pro Series
titles he has already secured so far on the PSA World Tour in 2014.
“It was a very tough match,”
admitted Iqbal following his win over the local
favourite.
“Mahesh is in form, especially after
beating (second seed) Ong Beng Hee in the quarter-finals.
“I controlled the first two sets though I was loose in the third
which gave him a chance to recover. I think in the end he tired out
and that gave me a chance to come back and win it.”
Shocks Continue In Mumbai
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The shocks continued on the second day of action at the
CCI PSA International Championship in Mumbai, as number two seed and
World No.30 Ong Beng Hee crashed out to Indian Mahesh Mangaonkar, losing
3-1 to the World No.70.
Mangaonkar, the 20-year-old Mumbai native, put in an
imperious performance to see off Beng Hee, the highest ranked Malaysian
player in the world, to record an impressive 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10
victory in just 61-minutes.
That victory comes just one day after tournament
favourite and World No.16 Saurav Ghosal lost a shock opening round
encounter with Ali Faraq, the 22-year-old Egyptian qualifier who
continued his giant-killing form today, rallying from 2-0 down to see of
Danish World No.62 Kristian Frost Olesen 3-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5.
Faraq will face compatriot Zahed Mohamed in the
semi-final, after he fashioned a confident 3-1 win over Harinderpal
Singh Sandhu of India, while the final semi-final berth is occupied by
Nasir Iqbal of Pakistan who overcame fifth seed Jaymie Haycocks of
England 11-5, 11-8, 11-7.
“I knew he’s a good player,” said Mohamed after his win.
“He played really well in the third game and got me worried again in the
fourth when he took that big lead. But I engaged him in long rallies and
waited for him to make the mistakes.”
