#PSAWorldTour
Pakistan number three Danish Atlas Khan fully capitalised on home advantage when he upset top-seeded compatriot Nasir Iqbal in the final of the Hashim Khan Memorial Pakistan International Squash Circuit II, staged at the Hashim Khan Squash Complex in Peshawar.
Following the death of squash legend Hashim Khan last week, at the age of 100, the Pakistan Squash Federation renamed this PSA Challenger 10 international squash event the “Hashim Khan Memorial Pakistan International Squash Circuit” – and moved it from Islamabad to Peshawar, the city near where the Patriarch of the Khan squash dynasty was born.
Third seed Atlas Khan, appropriately also born and raised in Peshawar, reached the final against expectation after taking out the event’s No2 seed Farhan Zaman in a five-game semi-final marathon.
But the 20-year-old World No.73 still had enough in reserve to survive a 92-minute final battle against Iqbal, eventually overcoming the World No.41 from Bannu 12-10, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-5.
The triumph was Atlas Khan’s first victory over the Pakistan number one in four Tour meetings in the past two years – and marks the seventh PSA World Tour title of his career.
Final:
[3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) 12-10, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-5 (92m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Amaad Fareed (PAK) 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 (32m)
[3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (70m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Yasir Ali Butt (PAK) 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4 (55m)
Amaad Fareed (PAK) bt Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari (PAK) 4-11, 11-2, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4 (66m)
[3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [7] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 8-11, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 (72m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [5] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (40m)
1st round:
[1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [Q] Aqib Hanif (PAK) 8-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-1 (66m)
Yasir Ali Butt (PAK) bt [8] Syed Hamzah Shah Bukhari (PAK) 11-13, 8-11, 13-11, 11-3, 11-9 (75m)
Amaad Fareed (PAK) bt [6] Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 12-14, 11-8 (70m)
Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari (PAK) bt [4] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-2, 4-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 (43m)
[3] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (51m)
[7] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [Q] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 (34m)
[5] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bt [Q] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) 11-8, 7-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-4 (76m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [Q] Zahir Shah (PAK) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (30m)
Qualifying finals:
Aqib Hanif (PAK) bt Ahsan Ayaz (PAK) 13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 (61m)
Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Bilal Zakir (PAK) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (29m)
Zahir Shah (PAK) bt Nosherwan Khan (PAK) 12-10, 11-4, 13-11 (61m)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Owais Khan (PAK) 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6 (48m)
1st qualifying round:
Aqib Hanif (PAK) bt Raees Khan (PAK) 9-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 11-5 (51m)
Ahsan Ayaz (PAK) bt Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8 (72m)
Bilal Zakir (PAK) bt Sadam Ul Haq (PAK) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (35m)
Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt Mamoon Ur Rashid (PAK) 11-3, 11-4, 11-5 (20m)
Nosherwan Khan (PAK) bt Salman Zeb (PAK) 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (35m)
Zahir Shah (PAK) bt Sajid Khan (PAK) 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 (17m)
Owais Khan (PAK) bt Mohammad Naeem (PAK) 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 (48m)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Muhammad Yasir Khan (PAK) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 (19m)
