CAS International Championship: Aamir books final clash with Meguid

Defending champion downs sibling Danish 3-2 in squash event’s semis

KARACHI: Pakistan’s former number one Aamir Atlas Khan entered the Serena Hotel Chief of Air Staff International Squash Championship final on Wednesday, defeating younger brother Danish 3-2 at the Mushaf Complex in Islamabad.

Aamir, currently ranked 94^th in the world, took the first game 11-9 before Danish retaliated with 11-5 and 13-11 in the next two. However, Aamir fought back in the fourth game 14-12 to level the match 2-2 and went onto seal the win 11-5 in the decider.

Earlier, the Asian champion had defeated second seed Nasir Iqbal 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

Aamir will now face top seed Omar Abdel Meguid of Egypt in the final on Thursday; the latter had outclassed Qatar’s Abdulla Mohammad Al Tamimi 3-0 in the first semi-final of the day.

The world number 28 has had an incredible run at the tournament, refusing to concede even a single game throughout his campaign. He defeated Tayyab Aslam and Ammar Fareed in the previous matches with the same 3-0 result.

While Meguid is a favourite to win the tournament, defending champion Aamir poses a big threat.

The 24-year-old won the last CAS International Championship in 2008, after which the tournament did not take place due to security concerns in the country. He had defeated Farhan Mehboob six years ago in the final.

The Peshawar-based squash player will look to beat the odds in order to retain his title and keep the trophy at home.

 

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