Roshan Khan Junior Open Squash next month

The Roshan Khan Junior Open Squash Championship, for boys and girls, will be held at PN Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, Karachi, from January 15 to 20. Sindh Squash Association (SSA) secretary general Tahir Khanzada said on Wednesday that this year tournament’s prize money had been enhanced from Rs.300,000 to Rs.400,000. The qualifying rounds of the event will be contested on January 15-17 and the finals rounds will be staged from January 17 to 20. 
Boys will appear in Under-11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 categories and girls will feature in Under-15 and 19 events. It will be draw of 16 in both categories. The organisers will be providing accommodations to players for qualification and main rounds.

PSF to hold district-level leagues

Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is planning to hold a league at district level from January 1 between clubs based in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to revive the game of squash.

This was decided earlier in a meeting held at PSF office to discuss the details of holding the league. It was decided in the meeting that each participating club would launch a team of seven persons (one each from U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19, seniors and veterans group).

Secretary PSF, Irfan Asghar presided over the meeting with the local club officials comprising Islamabad Club’s Rehan Arshad, Pakistan Army’s Major Nasir, Shailmar Club’s Syed Raza Ali, Benazir Bhutto Complex’s Qazi Nadeem, Safari Club’s Imran Qadir, Roshan Khan Complex’s Ilyas Khan, IT Consultant (Software) Nouman Haider, and PSF coach Fahim Gul.

“This league would help encourage the youth to come up and play squash,” the secretary said. He said that this tournament would bring up many talented players.

“I believe that by organising this tournament, we would get many good squash players who need a chance to prove their talent,” he added.

“We will do our best to encourage the game in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad but the players should also come forward and participate in the event.”

The PSF has asked the clubs to nominate their players for the tournament by December 17.

The league matches will be played on every Saturday at all district level clubs.

Backstage video tour at Sunset Beach Saudi World Open

Lets have a view around the venue of the Saudi World Open in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Just sit back and enjoy some nice backstage impressions added with Steve Cubbin's commentary.

Avenging Gold with a Gold-Pakistan wins Asian Gold in the team event!!

After having lost the squash singles final to Malaysia, Pakistan won a gold medal in the team event of squash in the on going Asian Games in China by defeating Malaysia in the final. Gold medal winners in squash were Farhan Mehbub and Aamir Atlas. This is the second gold medal of the country in the Asian Games.

"I feel really fantastic because I defeated Iskandar," the 20-year-old Khan said after whipping his Malaysian rival 14-12, 15-13, 11-4.

"After losing to Iskandar in the singles, I was mentally down and thought to myself that we could not get to the gold medal.

"My coach taught me a few things to prepare myself mentally and physically. I don't want to mention them because this is confidential." Amir added.

The squash team events were held for the first time at the Guangzhou Games.

In the first men's match against Malaysia, Farhan Mehboob had breezed past the 2002 and 2006 singles champion Ong Beng Hee 11-4, 11-4, 11-7.

Khan then went tit-for-tat against Iskandar to take the first two sets 14-12, 15-13. He took the third set 11-4 when a visibly tired Iskandar dropped his racquet in a return effort.

Pakistan has won a squash gold in the Asian Games for the second time only. The first one was one back in 1998 won by Zarak Jahan Khan.

Asian Games Squash Schedule

The Asian Games 2010 Squash Logo

Squash became an official Asian Games sport in the 13th Asian Games in 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Asian Games 2010 Squash event kicks to a start on the 18th November 2010-the 6th day of the Games.


The squash event's schedule goes something like this:

Ramy Ashour Backs Out From Qatar Classic

World number one and top seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt has withdrawn from the 2010 Qatar Classic squash tournament which starts November 8 at the Khalifa International Squash complex in Doha.

England’s Joey Barrington has replaced Ashour in the round of 32.

Squash players during the 2010 Qatar Classic draw ceremony held at Khalifa Squash Complex in Doha yesterday. RIGHT: Qatar Squash Federation (QSF) officials Talal Al Mawlawi, Tournament Director, Mohamed Al Khuliri, board member, Aladdin Alouba, techincal expert, Gamal Rasmi, techincal secretary, are seen with Robert Edwards and Wendy Danzy during the draw ceremony of the qualifying rounds of 2010 Qatar Classic

The world's best squash players try to earn World Series berth in Kuwait tournament

The best squash players in the world have convened in Kuwait for the HH Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah Trophy, The Patriarch Amir, Kuwait Open, the eighth of 10 PSA Super Series events, set to begin Thursday 28 October. The event marks one of the last opportunities for players to qualify for the exclusive PSA World Series Finals at the Queen’s Club in London from 11-15 January 2011. Only the top eight players in the PSA 2010 Super Series rankings earn a spot at the prestigious event.

All but one of the top-12 players in the rankings are participating in this week’s $172,500 event, with number-eight ranked David Palmer of Australia, who sustained an injury at the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, not in the field.

The final match is scheduled for Tuesday 2 November at Green Island.

Ramy Ashour sits comfortably atop the rankings, 125 points ahead of second place. The 23-year-old Egyptian is in the driver’s seat thanks to victories at the Hong Kong Open and the British Grand Prix this year. Displaying remarkable consistency, Ashour, who won the PSA World Series Finals in 2007, has been in the final match in six of the seven Super Series events played so far. He lost to fellow countryman Karim Darwish in the final of last week’s El-Gouna International, conceding the match after sustaining an injury in the second game. He appears to have recovered as he is in the field this week.

England’s Nick Matthew, opting not to play at El-Gouna last week after winning two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, currently occupies the number-two spot, thanks to three Super Series victories at the North American Open, the Australian Open, and the Sky Open in Egypt.

Rounding out the top-five are Englishman James Willstrop, winner of the Tournament of Champions in New York City, Egyptian player Karim Darwish, who won last week, and Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the two-time defending champion of the PSA World Series Finals.

While the top five in the rankings can feel reasonably safe with their inclusion at Queen’s Club next January, nothing is certain for the rest of the top-12. Egypt’s Amr Shabana, the reigning World Open champion, and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, looking to qualify for the World Series for a ninth consecutive year, are tied for sixth-place with 180 points each.

The eighth-ranked Palmer has 125 points, only five points ahead of ninth-ranked Peter Barker of England. Palmer won the World Series in 2002 while Barker will be trying to qualify for the event for the first time in his career.

After this week’s event, there will only be two Super Series events left to be played on the calendar. The Qatar Classic 2010 will be played in Doha, Qatar from 7-12 November while the 2010 Punj Lloyd PSA Masters will take place in New Delhi, India from 14-19 December. Both are Super Series Platinum events, the most prestigious of the Super Series, and will have 32-man fields. Total prize money for Qatar will be $147,500 while Punj Lloyd is a $192,500 event.