Iqbal Captures FMC International Title on Home Soil

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World No.57 Nasir Iqbal lifted the FMC International Pakistan, PSA Challenger 15 title for the first time in his burgeoning career after his opponent in the final, Aamir Atlas Khan, was forced to retire through injury in Lahore, Pakistan.

Iqbal came into the event fresh off victory at the CNS International Squash Championship over the younger Atlas Khan brother, Danish, in the final. Iqbal’s form extended to an impressive tournament in which he did not drop a single game throughout the event, eliminating third seed Farhan Zaman with ease in the semi-final.

Atlas Khan had to navigate his way through a tumultuous spell earlier on in the event, surviving gruelling five-game encounters against qualifiers Waqar Mehboob and Israr Ahmed before seeing off Farhan Mehboob in the semi-final.

The pair were meeting for the first time since October of last year where Atlas Khan won 3-1 in the Serena Hotels CAS International Squash Championship quarter-finals. This time around though, 21-year-old Iqbal started brightly and edged out his more experienced competitor 11-8 in the first game. Atlas Khan flagged considerably in the second game, which Iqbal took 11-4, and the 25-year-old was cruelly forced out of the match due to injury which handed Iqbal his ninth PSA World Tour title – his seventh on home soil.

RESULTS: PSA Challenger 15, FMC International Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan

First Round:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [WC] Sheraz Saleem (PAK) 3-0: 11-0, 11-9, 11-6 (20m)
[5] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bt Aamir Malik (UAE) w/o
[8] Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) bt [Q] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 (34m)
[3] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [Q] Zahir Shah (PAK) 3-0: 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (19m)
[4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-2: 6-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6 (64m)
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [6] Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (23m)
[Q] Israr Ahmed (PAK) bt [7] Shahjahan Khan (PAK) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (29m)
[2] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) 3-2: 10-12, 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (52m)

Quarter-finals:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [5] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-0: 13-11, 11-2, 11-9 (46m)
[3] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [8] Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 12-10 (32m)
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [4] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 14-12 (28m)
[2] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Israr Ahmed (PAK) 3-2: 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-2 (41m)

Semi-finals:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [3] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (34m)
[2] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 3-1: 11-7, 10-12, 12-10, 11-9 (55m)

Final:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [2] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 2-0: 11-8, 11-4 retired. (21m)

By Sean Reuthe