March 20, 2002	Wednesday	Muharram 5, 1423

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LAHORE, March 19: Six players from Punjab and two from the NWFP have entered the qualifying round of the 19th Pakistan Open Squash tournament at the end of the two-day pre-qualifying round at the Punjab Squash Complex courts on Tuesday.

The winners have joined the club of 24 players who were already in the qualifying round, starting at the Punjab Squash Complex and Lahore Gymkhana courts from March 20.

At the end of two-day qualifying round, the eight top players will move into the main round which will begin from March 22. In the main round, eight first round matches will be played at the Punjab Squash Complex and as many at the portable four-sided glass court at the Fortress Stadium.

In the lone well-contested match of the pre-qualifying round, Asghar Khan (Punjab) stunned prominent youngster Khalid Atlas 15-10, 8-15, 17-15, 12-15, 15-10. The match lasted 58 minutes.

Yasir Butt (Punjab) faced good opposition from Mamoon Rashid (NWFP) before the later conceded the match in the fourth game due to fitness problem. The score in favour of Yasir Butt was 11-15, 15-10, 15-9, 8-3.

Following were the results:

Muhammad Ilyas (Punjab) bt Adeel Hanif (Punjab) 15-5, 15-10, 15-4. Yasir Butt (Punjab) bt Mamoon Rashid (NWFP) 11-15, 15-10, 15- 9, 8-3 (Match conceded by Mamoon). Khayal Mohammad (Punjab) bt Shahab Husain (Balochistan) 15-8, 15-7, 15-8. Waseem Shad (Punjab) bt Shah Nawaz (Punjab) 17-15, 15-9, 8-15, 15-13. Asghar Khan (Punjab) bt Khalid Atlas (NWFP) 15-10, 8-15, 17-15, 12-15, 15-10 Naveed Atlas (NWFP) bt Karamatullah (Sindh) 15-6, 15-6, 15-14. Saeed Hassan (Punjab) bt Farhan Mehboob (NWFP) 15-10, 15-11, 15-5. Naseem Tahkali (NWFP) bt Munawar Zaman (NWFP) 15-10, 15-13, 15-6.

The following 24 players are already in the qualifying round to make their way for the main round:

Mohammad Abbas (Egypt), John Williams (Australia), Renan Lavigno (France), Shahid Zaman (Pakistan), Amr Shabana (Egypt), Mansoor Zaman (Pakistan), Wael El Hindi (Egypt), Shahier Razik (Canada), Adrian Grant (England), Dan Jenson (Australia), Kenneth Low (Malaysia), Lars Harms (Switzerland), Mohammed Essam A Hafiz (Egypt),  Mohammad  Azlan Iskandar (Malaysia),  Ajaz  Azmat (Pakistan),  Raj  Nanda (Australia),  Shamsul  Islam  Khan, Safeerullah Khan, Farrukh Zaman, Zubair Ali Khan, Majid Khan, and Arshad Iqbal Burki (Pakistan).

Meanwhile Twenty foreign players from different countries and one referee Michael Collins from South Africa reached Tuesday to participate in the two-day qualifying round of the 19th Pakistan Open Squash-2002 starting from Wednesday.

There are eight players from Australia, four from Egypt and three from Malaysia, two from Canada and one from Belgium, France and UK who have arrived .

List of Players :

Slatko Sabo, Anthony Rickets, Stewart Boswel, Joseph Kneipp, Daniel Kheips, John Williams, Dane Jensen, Raj Nanda (Australia), Amr Shabana, Mizo Hafiz, H E Hindi, Mohammad Abbas (Egypt), Ong Beng Hee, Nicol, Iskandar Azlan (Malaysia), Grahm Rydins, Shahier Razik (Canada), C. Stean (Belgium), Mark Chaloner (UK), Rehan Lavisne (France).