PSF Squash Circuit RD1: Seeds Fall In Opening Round

It was a day of surprise results at the PSF Squash Circuit 1 in Islamabad, Pakistan, as four of the top eight seeds were knocked out of the tournament, including top seed Israr Ahmed.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament is domestically restricted, allowing only those permanently residing in host nation Pakistan to play in the competition.

Farhan Mehboob was the man to cause the biggest upset of the day, as he got the better of top seed Israr Ahmed in a five-game battle. Mehboob went out to an early lead, holding a two game advantage, only to see the World No.90 fight back to level the match a two games each. However, it was Mehboob that took the win, claiming the fifth game 11-9 to advance through to the quarter finals.

He will take on another unseeded player, in Muhammad Farhan Hashmi, after the Pakistani overcame No.7 seed Salman Salem with a comfortable straight games win. Hashmi required just 24 minutes on court at the Mushaf Squash Complex to move through to the last eight.

There were also surprise wins for Hamza Khan and Zeeshan Zeb on the opening day of the tournament. Khan got the better of No.3 seed Amaad Fareed in a 32 minutes, four-game battle, while Zeb downed No.5 seed Zahir Shah in straight games. The pair will do battle for a place in the last four tomorrow.

No.2 seed Farhan Zaman got the better of Muhammad Farhan in the first round, and he will now face No.8 seed Danish Atlas Khan in the quarter finals. The other contest of the last eight on Sunday will be between No.6 seed Hamza Sharif and No.4 seed Waqas Mehboob.

The action continues at the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the quarter finals taking place on Sunday, February 27.

First Round Results: PSF Squash Circuit 1
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [1] Israr Ahmed (PAK) 3-2: 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 6-11, 11-9 (51m)
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) bt [7] Salman Saleem (PAK) 3-0: 11-3, 11-8, 12-10 (24m)
[6] Hamza Sharif (PAK) bt Saeed Abdul (PAK) 3-1: 11-13, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (31m)
[4] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt [WC] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)
Hamza Khan (PAK) bt [3] Amaad Fareed (PAK) 3-1: 11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4 (32m)
Zeeshan Zeb (PAK) bt [5] Zahir Shah (PAK) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (26m)
[8] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Naveed Rehman (PAK) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-1 (21m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Muhammad Farhan (PAK) 3-0: 11-7, 13-11, 11-9 (25m)

Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, February 27
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) v Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK)
[6] Hamza Sharif (PAK) v [4] Waqas Mehboob (PAK)
Hamza Khan (PAK) v Zeeshan Zeb (PAK)
[8] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) v [2] Farhan Zaman (PAK)