Sports Bulletin

Sports DeskISLAMABAD: Defending champions Ali Farag and Nour ElSherbini have been named as the top seeds for the British Open 2024, taking place from 2-9 June. An all-glass show court will again be erected in Birmingham’s Rep Theatre, with play also coming from the Edgbaston Priory Club for the first two rounds.Women’s top seed ElSherbini captured last years title in great style, beating Nouran Gohar in straight games to claim a third British Open trophy. The 28-year-old has been in great form this season and will be aiming to claim a seventh win of the 2023/24 campaign. The World No.1 also has a chance to claim revenge over Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam early in the competition as that match up takes place in round two after the pair receive opening round byes.Now World No.3 Hania El Hammamy is the No.2 seed for the event, looking to claim a first British Open title of her career. The Egyptian was forced to withdraw from the recent El Gouna International but will be determined to return in strong style and claim a first title of 2024. El Hammamy will need to be at her best from the start as she takes on compatriot and World No.10 Rowan Elaraby in her opening match in round two.After picking up back-to-back World Tour titles in El Gouna, No.3 seed Nouran Gohar is the in-from player heading into this years British Open. ‘The Terminator’ defeated Nour ElSherbini in a best of five match for the first time since October 2022 in the final, which will give the former World No.1 bags of confidence as she looks to claim a second British Open title. Gohar will open her campaign in round two against either Katie Malliff or Emily Whitlock.Belgium’s Nele Gilis completes the top four seeds as she enters this year’s event at her highest seeding position of No.4. The 27-year-old’s best finish in a British Open came back in 2019, where she defeated sister Tinne to reach the quarter finals, ranked 29 in the world at the time. Now situated in the World’s top four, Gilis will be looking to achieve her seeding and give herself a shot at reaching a second Platinum event final.Men’s top seed Ali Farag produced an unbelievable performance in last year’s championships, where not only did he win his first British Open title, but did so whilst fasting. Since last year’s victory, Farag has reached the final in all but one of the fifteen events that he has played in, winning in ten of those finals. The World No.1 recently claimed his 40th PSA win in El Gouna but will be thirsty for more as he heads to Birmingham looking to defend his title. He’ll take on the winner of Leandro Romiglio and Omar Mosaad in round two.Two-time British Open champion Paul Coll is the No.2 seed for the event this year, looking to claim a sixth title of the season and cement his position as World No.2. Coll is one of only two players to beat Farag this season and looks to have taken his game up a level in an attacking sense. Coll recently lost out to former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad in the El Gouna International but may have the chance to claim revenge as the pair are set to meet again in the quarter finals if the seedings go to plan. The New Zealander will face the winner of Nicolas Mueller and George Parker in his first match in round two.It was during last years British Open that Peruvian Diego Elias achieved his childhood dream to become World No.1. The 27-year-old was guaranteed to rise to the summit after Gawad downed Mohamed Elshorbagy in round three. Despite the obvious distraction, Elias managed to reach the final but couldn’t top off the momentous week as he lost to Farag in four games. Elias now finds himself at World No.4 and hasn’t claimed a title over Silver level yet this season. He’ll be hoping to regain his form from last year to put a strong week together in Birmingham and silence the critics.The man who has most recently overtaken Elias is No.4 seed Mostafa Asal. Also a former World No.1, Asal has returned to form in recent months, showing the quality that everyone knows he is capable of. The 22-year-old won the Florida Open in January and followed that up with a win at the Black Ball Squash Open as well as runner-up finishes at the London Classic and El Gouna International. The Egyptian has been changing the way he plays under the guidance of former Commonwealth Gold Medalist James Willstrop, a partnership that looks to be exactly what Asal needed. The World No.4 finds himself in the same half of the draw as No.2 seed Coll and will still have the London Classic final in is mind as he seeks revenge.Torrie Malik and Asia Harris are the women’s wildcards this year whilst Simon Herbert and Jonah Bryant claim the spots in the men’s draw. Bryant is one of England’s top prospects, currently ranked No.72 in the world and has already claimed six titles on the Challenger Tour this season, most recently the Irish Open in Dublin. The quartet will all be hoping to score round one upsets to gain valuable ranking points. (Thanks to Sean Reuthe). 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Rising Pakistani squash lad, Mohammad Ashab Irfan got rid of Jorge Luis Gomez Dominguez from Mexico 3-1 in the PSA Squash Tournament final after a well contested four games contest at Rochester City, United States of America (USA). The final score-line was 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, and 11-9, as the championship match lasted 60 minutes. The tournament was pursuing prize money of $9000. According to available information from abroad, Mohammad Ashab Irfan exhibited an excellent game. He toiled hard on the court to overcome his opponent and won the first game on a tiebreak. Results:Final: Mohammad Ashab Irfan beat Jorge Luis Gomez Dominguez (Mexico) 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9 (60m)Semifinal: Mohammad Ashab Irfan beat Ronald Palomino (Colombia) 9-11, 11-9, 11-2, 4-11, 11-4 (75m)Quarterfinal: Mohammad Ashab Irfan beat Adegoke Onaopemipo (Nigeria) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (36m)Round II: Mohammad Ashab Irfan beat Matias Lacroix (Chile) 11-5, 11-8, 14-12 (43m)Round I: Mohammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) got a bye.

Pakistani player outclasses Mohammad Changanin from Iran in straight sets 3-0 in finalSports DeskISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Qadir Rehman Gul won the gold medal by defeating Iranian player Mohammad Changanin in straight sets 3-0 in the Under-19 final of the Qatar Classical Junior Squash Championship. The final score-line was 12-10, 11-6, 11-8.In the Under-11 category, Fahad Faheem of Pakistan claimed the third position. In the match played for the third position, Fahid Faheem won by 3-1 with the score-line of 11-3, 12-10, 7-11, 11-4. 

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Saddam-ul-Haq defeated Asher Butt 3-1 in the final of the All Pakistan Jehangir Khan PSA Satellite Squash Series that concluded here at Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex on Saturday.Pakistan Army's Saddamul Haque overcame his opponent Punjab's Ashar Butt 3-1 to become the champion of the tournament. The final score-line was 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, and 11-4, as the match lasted only 16 minutes.Commodore Tauqeer Ahmed Khawaja, Patron of Pakistan Navy Squash, was the chief guest and distributed the prizes among the players. Tawqir Ahmed Khawaja said on this occasion that the Pakistan Navy would continue to patronize talented players.

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The finals of the Jahangir Khan PSA Satellite Series 2024 will be played on Saturday here at Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, as Asher Butt and Saddam-ul-Haq have confirmed their berths in the Boys’ final after winning their respective semifinals.ResultsBoys’ U15 (Semifinals)Asher Butt beat Mohammad Zaman (3-1) 9-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-7 (37 min)Saddam ul Haq beat Mohammad Azlan Khawar (3-2) 10-12, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 12-10 (55 min)Boys’ U13 (Semifinals):Raheel beat Mohammad bin Atif (3-0) 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 (24 min)Huzaifa Shahid beat Mohammad Faizan (3-1) 10-12, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 (27 min)Girls’ U15 (Semifinals):Damia beat Yyeda Sara (3-0) 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 (19 min)Sehrish Ali beat Mahnoor Ali (3-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (23 min).

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: Abdul Basit registered a thrilling 3-2 victory against Wajiullah with the score-line of 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, and 11-6 in gthe ongoing Jahangir Khan PSA Satellite Series 2024 here at Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan squash complex on Thursday.Results (Round-2):Mohammad Azlan Khawar beat Cavish (3-0) 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (20 min)Usman Nadeem Butt beat Hashir kifayat (3-0) 11-5, 11-5, 11-2 (18 min)Saddam ul Haq beat Hikmat yar Khan (3-1) 14-12, 7-11, 11-5, 13-11 (39 min)Anas Khan beat Zuhaib Ali Hassan (3-0) 11-6, 13-11, 11-8 (22 min)Abdul Qadir beat Mohammad Babar (3-1) 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (37 min)Asher Butt beat Mutahir Ali (3-1) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 (39 min)Mohammad Zaman beat Talha bin Zubair (3-1) 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 12-10 (28 min)Abdul Basit beat Wajiullah (3-2) 9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 (46 min)Results (Men’s Quarterfinals): Asher Butt beat Abdul Qadir (3-1) 13-15, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 (32 min)Mohammad Zaman beat Abdul Basit (3-0) 14-12, 11-8, 12-10 (32 min)Saddam ul Haq beat Anas Khan (3-1) 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2 (29 min)Azlan Khawar beat Usman Nadeem Butt (3-1) 11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 12-10 (40 min)Girls’ U13 (Round-1):Sehrish Khan beat Aaisha Shahid (3-0) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (18 mins)Aima Fawad beat Zoha Khan (3-0) 11-1, 11-1, 11-3 (9 mins)Mahnoor Ali beat Soha Ali (3-0) 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (20 mins)Syeda Sarah Ali beat Minal Ali (3-0) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (17 mins)Dua Nazakat beat Hamna Moazzam (3-0) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (12 mins)Nimra Batool beat Sundas Jahangir (3-0) 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (12 mins)Damia Khan beat Ayesha Jahangir (3-0) 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (21 mins)Aiman Fatima beat Vesnavi (3-0) 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6 (30 mins)Girls’ U15 (Quarterfinals):Sehrish Ali beat Aiman Fatima (3-0) 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (19 mins)Mahnoor Ali beat Aiman Fawad (3-0) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (23 mins)Syeda Sarah Ali beat Dua Nazakat (3-0) 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 (21 mins)Damia Khan beat Nimra Batool (3-1) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 (30 mins)Boys’ U13 (Round-1):Faizan Ali beat Wajahat (3-0) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 (21 mins)Daim Ayan beat Mohammad Ali Shaikh (3-0) 11-8, 13-11, 11-7 (23 mins)Huzaifa Shahid beat Zubair Ali (3-0) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (12 mins)Raheel Masi beat Ali Jahangir (3-0) 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (18 mins)Sudais got w/o against Saif SaadAbdul Rehman beat Luqman Ahmed (3-0) 11-7, 11-7, 11-0 (18 mins)Mohammad bin Atif beat Sahil (3-0) 11-9, 11-4, 11-5(16 mins)Tahoor Tahir beat Hadi Khan (3-0) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (25mins)Boys’ U13 (Quarterfinals):Faizan Ali beat Dain Ayyan (3-0) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (21 mins)Huzaifa Shahid beat Tahoor Tahir (3-0) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (30 mins)Raheel Masi beat Sudais Paracha (3-0) 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (26 mins)Mohammad bin Atif beat Rehman (3-0) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (16 mins).

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The Jahangir Khan PSA Satellite Series 2024, presented by Friends of Pakistan Squash Championship, kicked off Wednesday at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Karachi. This prestigious event marks a significant addition to the squash calendar, featuring promising talents from across the nation vying for a substantial prize pool. The opening round showcased intense matchups with players demonstrating high skill levels and competitive spirit. Notable among the day’s games was Usman Nadeem Butt’s hard-fought victory over Shahzad Khan, with the match extending to a gripping 35 minutes before Butt clinched a 3-1 win. In other matches of the first round, Saddam ul Haq beat M Ali 3-1, Hikmat Yar Khan beat Fareed Sheikh 3-0, Hashir Kifayat beat Qasim Noorani 3-0, Zuhaib Ali Hassan beat Meer Ahmed 3-0, Anas Khan beat Talha Saeed 3-0, M Azlan Khawar beat Naveed Ur Rehman 3-0, Cavish Farrukh beat Ch Nasir 3-0, Mutahir Ali beat Usman Tahir 3-0, Abdul Basit beat M Ahmed 3-1, Wajiullah beat Nawab Shah 3-0. The championship boasts a total prize money of PKR 500,000, divided among different categories: PKR 300,000 for the men's PSA Satellite, PKR 100,000 for the girls U-15, and PKR 100,000 for boys U-13, highlighting the event's commitment to nurturing young talent. Participants and spectators alike praised Jahangir Khan for his role in organizing the event, which not only enhances the local squash scene but also provides a platform for emerging players to showcase their abilities. The second round for the PSA Men’s category, along with the girls U-15 and boys U-13, is scheduled to continue on Thursday, April 18, at 10 am.  

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Salam Gul, father of Under-13 squash player Mohammad Fawad Khan showed satisfaction over the performance of his son, who claimed a bronze medal in the recently concluded Australian Junior Squash Championship in Melbourne, Australia.Salam Gul said in a statement: “I am happy with him (Mohammad Fawad Khan) for fetching the bronze medal in an international squash competition. His coaches Tahir Iqbal, and Munawar Zaman toiled hard day and night with my son. I thank the Bank of Khyber (BOK), Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Squash Association (KPSA) for supporting my son. I hope he will bring more honours for the country in the future.”

Sports DeskISLAMABAD: Thomas Bedore and Patrick Bedore became the first father and son champions after winning the titles of the US Masters together in the 112-year history of the National Singles of Unites States of America (USA).The Bedore family’s historic performance follows an already impressive 2023 tournament where Thomas–a five-time champion–reached the 65+ semifinals and Patrick reached the 35+ final. Newly aged into the 70+ division as the two seed and coached by his son, Thomas came back from 2-0 down against top seed Richard von Hirschberg to clinch the title 10-12, 9-11, 11-7, 11-1, 11-6. In the last final of the day, Patrick avenged his 2023 35+ final loss against Ashraf Yassin in a close final 16-14, 13-11, 11-9 to capture his first national title.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: There are just three months to go until this year’s WSF World Junior Squash Championships, which are taking place in Houston Squash Club, Houston Texas United States of America (USA) from July 12 to 23, 2024. This year’s championships, which will comprise of an individual and team competition, will feature concurrent men’s and women’s team events for the first time in event history.Last year’s championships, which took place in Melbourne, Australia, Egypt’s Amina Orfi won her second individual title and led Egypt to victory in the team event, while Hamza Khan ended Pakistan’s 37-year wait for a title in the men’s individual event. The last edition of the men’s team event took place in Nancy, France in 2022, where England defeated Egypt 2-1.