Unseeded Iqbal clinches squash event

Shocks Yasir Butt 3-1 in the final.

KARACHI:

Nasir Iqbal clinched the Pakistan International Squash Circuit-1 title when he defeated top-seed Yasir Butt 3-1 at Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad.

The 16-year-old unseeded Iqbal took just 49 minutes to outplay his opponent, winning the match 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4.

“It was an important tournament for me and will help me in my world rankings,” said Iqbal. “It’s the first big title of my career and now I want to win more. I hit the highest ranking with Professional Squash Association in January (211) but then it came down to 282 since I lost my matches in Iran. But I am hopeful that next month they will be a little better since I won this event.”

Iqbal’s earlier upsets includes a win over second-seed Waqar Mehboob in the semi-finals.

“It was a nerve-wreacking match,” losing finalist Yasir told The Express Tribune.

“Nasir completely surprised me with his error-free game. I got a little tired in the middle since my last three matches went till the fifth set. But Iqbal outplayed me without making any mistakes or giving me enough time to recover.”

Iqbal reached the semi-final of the event last year but lost to Mansoor Zaman and also failed to advance in the Pakistan International Squash Circuit-2 2010 when he lost to Waqar Mehboob in the quarter-final.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2011.