Player Spotlight – Faraz Khan

Faraz Khan took his first title on the PSA Tour at the weekend with victory at the Bourbon Trail Event No.1 in Chattanooga.

In beating compatriot Cole Becker in the final, Khan took his maiden PSA crown, and we spoke to the American after the event where he revealed that he was relieved to break his title duck.

“Honestly, it felt like a weight was lifted off me somewhat,” Khan said.

“I have been playing for a while now and made a final earlier [in the year] but got injured and just felt like it was high time to do something. So [it’s] definitely [a] relief.”

Despite the victory, his goals for the rest of the season remain the same as they were before the Bourbon Trail.

“My goal for the rest of the season is to improve the standard of my squash and enjoy the game,” the American explained.

Even with the win in Chattanooga, Khan is being realistic about his movement up the PSA World Rankings.

“The top 100 would be nice and in three years, [the] top 50 would be something,” he added.

Khan, who hails from New Jersey, USA, has breached the top 100 before, and held his position there for 12 months to October 2018.

The American, who was also runner-up in the Kiva Club Open back in September, has been as high as World No.83.

Khan also opened up about other parts of his career and his life, including how he got into the game of squash in the first place. It came from family roots.

“My dad is still a coach and does coach me once in a while,” he said.

When it comes to preparation on match day, he admitted that he tries not to think about the game and just tries to relax before his warm-up.

“I prepare for matches with lots of visualisation, and on the day of [the match] I try to not think about squash much until an hour before, where I’ll then listen to some music and try and sort my mind out and build a game plan,” Khan explained.

“20 minutes in, I’ll start my warm-up and that’s about it really.”

But what about getting away from the game?

“I just watch some TV or play some games, nothing too exciting!” he added.

“In terms of tv shows, I enjoy Game of Thrones, Trailer Park Boys and Peep Show, among others.”

Khan’s next event will be the Bourbon Trail Event No.2 in the latter part of the month as he bids to make it two titles on the bounce.