Squash: Yasir continues dream run at Dayton Open

Qualifier from Pakistan faces second-seed in squash final.

KARACHI: Pakistani qualifier Yasir Butt continued his dream run at the EBS Dayton Open as he brushed aside top-seed Adrian Grant in the semi-finals of the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour International event in Ohio.

The 23-year-old player from Lahore, ranked 95th in the world, now finds himself in the final with second-seed Alister Walker, the world number 20 from Botswana.

In the opening semi-final, in front of a packed gallery at the Dayton Squash Center, Butt defeated England’s world number 17 Grant 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 in 47 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the other last-four encounter, Walker beat fourth-seed Chris Simpson 15-13, 11-7, 12-10 in 43 minutes.

The final will be Butt and Walker’s first meeting since 2005, when the pair contested a first-round match in the Kolkata International in India, which the Botswanian won in five games.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th,  2011.