Pakistan through to semis in Ecuador

KARACHI: Pakistan crushed Germany 3-0 to cruise into the semi-final of the Men’s World Junior Squash Championship 2010 team event in Quito, Ecuador.

Pakistan’s top-seed Danish Atlas Khan outplayed Rudi Rohrmuller 11-7, 11-5, 11-0 in the first match, while Nasir Iqbal easily overcame Sven Lemmermann 11-6, 11-5, 11-0. Earlier, Rohruller had defeated Nasir in the pre-quarter-final matches at the individual event.

In the last match of the tie, Waqas Mehboob sealed the victory for Pakistan in the third rubber when he brushed aside Johannes Thurauf 11/3, 11/7 in less than 30 minutes.

Pakistan will continue its title-defence against the third seed and four-time champion England in the semi-final.

England easily defeated newcomers New Zealand 3-0, while top seed Egypt beat France in the quarter-finals. However, the biggest
upset of the tournament was when Canada claimed a 2-1 win over fourth seed
India to secure the country’s first top four finish since 1992. Canada, the fifth seed will take on Egypt in the semi-finals.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2010.