British Open: Iqbal’s opponent was more experienced, says Gul
Pakistan squash coach laments national player’s exit from qualifiers.
Iqbal was the only Pakistani player to enter the event. PHOTO: WSF/FILE
KARACHI:
Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal crashed out of the final qualifying round of the British Open, losing 3-1 to Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller in Hull, England.
Iqbal started off well as the first two games proved to be a close affair between the players. However, as the game progressed, Mueller upped the ante to win the remaining two as he triumphed with a scoreline of 11-8, 9-11, 11-4 and 11-3.
Iqbal was the only Pakistani player to enter the event, with Farhan Zaman narrowly missing out on the chance to make it to the qualifiers. Sixteenth seed Iqbal had earlier beaten England’s Tom Ford 3-1 in his first round qualifying match.
He had to work hard against Ford, who showed resistance in the 53-minute clash, but the Pakistani player proved his mettle and won by 11-6, 11-5, 10-12 and 11-6.
Pakistan head coach Jamshed Gul said that Iqbal was unlucky to draw with a tough opponent in the final qualifying round.
“Iqbal could’ve made into the main round of British Open but he was unlucky to be drawn with Mueller in the final qualifying match,” Gul told The Express Tribune.
“Mueller is among the top 20 players in the event and is far more experienced than our player. We were hoping that Iqbal could make it to the main round, but he cannot be blamed because he tried his best in the initial two sets.”
Maria Toor joins national camp
Pakistan’s number one female player Maria Toorpakai Wazir, who usually plays in Canada under the supervision of Jonathan Power, has joined the ongoing national training camp to prepare for the Asian Squash Championship which will be held in June.
Maria represented Pakistan in last year’s Asian Individual Squash Championship but was unable to do well there. However, she has been turning up at the Women’s International Squash Players Association events regularly, which have given her much-needed match practice ahead of the mega event.
“Maria has reported to the camp and she will start training from Tuesday,” revealed Gul.
“We need to assess her fitness in order to draw up her training plan for the Asian Championship. It will be a difficult task to play against the top players, which is why we’re keen to give her the right training and drills for the competition.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2014.
Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal crashed out of the final qualifying round of the British Open, losing 3-1 to Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller in Hull, England.
Iqbal started off well as the first two games proved to be a close affair between the players. However, as the game progressed, Mueller upped the ante to win the remaining two as he triumphed with a scoreline of 11-8, 9-11, 11-4 and 11-3.
Iqbal was the only Pakistani player to enter the event, with Farhan Zaman narrowly missing out on the chance to make it to the qualifiers. Sixteenth seed Iqbal had earlier beaten England’s Tom Ford 3-1 in his first round qualifying match.
He had to work hard against Ford, who showed resistance in the 53-minute clash, but the Pakistani player proved his mettle and won by 11-6, 11-5, 10-12 and 11-6.
Pakistan head coach Jamshed Gul said that Iqbal was unlucky to draw with a tough opponent in the final qualifying round.
“Iqbal could’ve made into the main round of British Open but he was unlucky to be drawn with Mueller in the final qualifying match,” Gul told The Express Tribune.
“Mueller is among the top 20 players in the event and is far more experienced than our player. We were hoping that Iqbal could make it to the main round, but he cannot be blamed because he tried his best in the initial two sets.”
Maria Toor joins national camp
Pakistan’s number one female player Maria Toorpakai Wazir, who usually plays in Canada under the supervision of Jonathan Power, has joined the ongoing national training camp to prepare for the Asian Squash Championship which will be held in June.
Maria represented Pakistan in last year’s Asian Individual Squash Championship but was unable to do well there. However, she has been turning up at the Women’s International Squash Players Association events regularly, which have given her much-needed match practice ahead of the mega event.
“Maria has reported to the camp and she will start training from Tuesday,” revealed Gul.
“We need to assess her fitness in order to draw up her training plan for the Asian Championship. It will be a difficult task to play against the top players, which is why we’re keen to give her the right training and drills for the competition.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2014.