16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 15: Pakistan No 1 squash player Mansoor Zaman is the only Pakistani placed in the main rounds of the 2004 British Open, once dominated by Pakistan for decades, starting in Nottingham later this month.

National squash champion Mansoor will face Scotland's former world number one John White in the opening round of the prestigious event. The left-handed Mansoor, who fell to No. 29 from No. 22 in the world ranking early this month, is the only Pakistani in the 32-man main draw.

The tournament will be played from Oct 20. If Mansoor manages to record an upset win against the seventh seed White, then he would most likely face Australia's No. 12 seed Anthony Ricketts in the second round.

Former Pakistan champion Carla Khan will also feature directly in the main rounds of the women's competition. The London-based Carla meets Omneya Abdel Kawy, the ninth seed from Egypt, in the opening round. This year's British Open boasts eight of the world's top ten men and all but one of the top ten women in a star-studded field. -PPI