Mehboob dominates opening day of trials

Squash players vie for spot on team for World Team Championships.


Our Correspondent May 21, 2013
Mehboob dispatch Mansoor Zaman in straight games with scores of 12-10, 11-7 and 11-5. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI:


Farhan Mehboob dominated the first day of the World Team Championship trials conducted by the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), notching up two victories without dropping a single game in the process at the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad yesterday.


The trials, which are being heldn on round-robin format, included seven players as Aamir Atlas Khan, who returned to Peshawar a night before the trails, was missing. All the players will get a bye due to Aamir’s absence and will have six matches to fight for four available slots for the mega event.

The first match of the morning saw Mehboob dispatch Mansoor Zaman in straight games with scores of 12-10, 11-7 and 11-5 while Nasir Iqbal received a bye.

Then against the odds, Tayyab Aslam stunned Danish Atlas Khan 3-2 in the second match despite trailing by a game initially in the contest.

Tayyab won two consecutive games to build a 2-1 lead only to see Danish level back, however, he kept his composure to seal a dramatic win with a scoreline of 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, 3-11 and 11-8.

The PSF officials who were present at the trials praised Tayyab for putting up a good show.



“Tayyab played really well as he gave no chance to Danish to settle down,” a PSF official told The Express Tribune. “He has been playing really well and such upsets make these trials tricky for players which is why no one should take them for granted otherwise they could lose their place to someone else.”

The last match of the morning saw Farhan Zaman thrash Sheikh Saqib Yousuf 3-1 with scores of 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 and 11-9.

The second session resumed at 5 pm in the evening and Nasir beat Mansoor 11-6, 11-5 and 11-7 while Mehboob won 11-8, 11-7 and 11-6 against Saqib. Danish went on to lose his second match against Farhan as he was forced to retire due to severe headache when Farhan was comfortably leading 11-4, 12-10 while Tayyab got a bye.

“I couldn’t play well which is why I lost,” said Danish. “I hope to redeem myself by winning the rest of the four matches because I can’t lose now.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2013.

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