Yasir goes down in squash final

Pakistani qualifier’s giant-killing run at Dayton Open ends.

OHIO: Pakistani qualifier Yasir Butt’s dream run at the EBS Dayton Open Squash Championship ended as he lost the final of the tournament to Botswana’s Alister Walker 11-4, 14-12, 11-4.

Butt had dispatched several higher-ranked players, including top-seed Adrian Grant, in his giant-killing run at the event but lost to the experienced Walker in Ohio.

Lahore-based Butt got off to a good start, winning the first three points of the match, but the Botswanian then came back strongly winning the next five in quick succession to lay the foundations for an easy win in the first game. The second game witnessed a tight battle, with Walker emerging a 14-12 winner. The final game proved to be a cakewalk for Walker as he sealed the win.

Butt is currently serving a one-year ban from playing in tournaments in Pakistan after the country’s squash federation sanctioned the player in the aftermath of the team’s miserable show at the World Team Championships in August.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th,  2011.