Nasir Iqbal became the latest Pakistan teenager to make an unheralded breakthrough on the world squash stage today when he won the PSF-CDA Pakistan International Circuit No1 in the Pakistan capital Islamabad.
The unseeded 16-year-old, playing in only his fourth professional event, made his breakthrough in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 championship at the Mushaf Squash Complex where he ousted fourth seed Waqas Mehboob in straight games.
The Peshawar youngster’s next victim was Waqas’s older brother Waqar Mehboob – but Iqbal recovered from a game down to beat the second seed 7-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 in 57 minutes.
Now in his maiden PSA Tour final, Iqbal faced Yasir Butt, the 22-year-old top seed from Lahore making his seventh Tour final appearance.
But Iqbal, ranked 282 in the world, was unfazed by his senior compatriot’s greater experience – and battled for 49 minutes to quash the event favourite 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4 to claim the first PSA World Tour title of his career.
Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, graced the ceremony as Chief Guest and awarded trophies to the winner and runner up.
Final:
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [1] Yasir Butt (PAK) 11-5, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4 (49m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Yasir Butt (PAK) bt Mansoor Zaman (PAK) 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9 (64m)
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [2] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) 7-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 (57m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Yasir Butt (PAK) bt Owais Khan (PAK) 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8 (52m)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt [3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (79m)
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [4] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3 (25m)
[2] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 (46m)
1st round:
[1] Yasir Butt (PAK) bt Syed Ali Shah Bokhari (PAK) 11-9, 5-11, 11-0, 7-11, 11-8 (50m)
Owais Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Bilal Zakir (PAK) 11-6, 15-13, 11-5 (41m)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt [Q] Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 (33m)
[3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Saqib Yousaf (PAK) 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (31m)
[4] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (26m)
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Aqib Hanif (PAK) 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (22m)
Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt [Q] Mahad Javed (PAK) 11-3, 11-8, 11-3 (24m)
[2] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) bt [Q] Mohammad Shahnawaz (PAK) 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 (24m)
Qualifying finals:
Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7
Mahad Javed (PAK) bt Ahmed Hameed (PAK) 9-11, 19-17, 11-5, 11-8
Mohammad Shahnawaz (PAK) bt Shahzad Khan (PAK) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4
Bilal Zakir (PAK) bt Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) 11-9, 11-9, 14-12
1st qualifying round:
Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt Mamoon Ur Rashid (PAK) w/o
Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Shams Kakar (PAK) 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 10-12, 11-8
Mahad Javed (PAK) bt Shoukat Raza Khan (PAK) 11-5, 11-5, 13-11
Ahmed Hameed (PAK) bt Sajjad Ali Khan (PAK) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5
Shahzad Khan (PAK) bt Abbas Ali (PAK) 11-6, 11-7, 13-11
Mohammad Shahnawaz (PAK) bt Muhammad Khalid Khan (PAK) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7
Bilal Zakir (PAK) bt Muqadar Shah (PAK) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) bt Safeer Ullah Khan (PAK) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8
