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| September 9, 2005 | Friday | Sha’aban 4, 1426 |
Khayal, Basit score upset victories
KARACHI, Sept 8: Former national junior team captain Khayal Muhammad caused a major upset when he trounced England’s fifth seed Ben Garner 11-10, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in 50 minuters to enter the quarterfinals of the International squash championship in Kolkata on Wednesday.
According to the details of the world ranking tournament made available here, another unseeded Pakistani Basit Ashfaq also made it to the last-eight stage when he shocked seventh seed Gavin Jones of Wales in the opening round.
Four seeds fell on the opening day of main round action in which local hero Ritwik Bhattacharya, a qualifier, claiming the biggest upset to become the only Indian through to the quarterfinals of the new PSA Tour.
The 25-year-old from New Delhi fought back from 1-2 down in games to dispatch fourth seed Mohamed Essam A Hafiz, from Egypt, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11 11-3, 11-8 in 57 minutes, and now meets another qualifier, Khayal, for an unlikely place in the last four.
Basit took 52 minutes to topple Jones in four games. However, two of Pakistan’s more experienced players - Arshad Iqbal Burki and Yasir Butt lost in the opening rounds of the tournament.
There was also a surprise English success in the bottom half of the draw when unseeded Stacey Ross, from Surrey, overcame eighth seed Phillip Barker 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 in 36 minutes to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Australia’s second seed Cameron Pilley.
First Round Results: Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 (42m); Basit Ashfaq (PAK) bt Gavin Jones (WAL) 11-4, 2-11, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0) (52m); Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Mohamed Essam A Hafiz (EGY) 11-9, 8-11,9-11, 11-3, 11-8 (57m); Khayal Muhammad Khan (PAK) bt Ben Garner (ENG) 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (50m); Alister Walker (ENG) bt Yasir Butt (PAK) 8-11,11-1, 11-6, 7-11, 11-10 (2-0) (64m); Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Cameron White (AUS) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-0 (46m); Stacey Ross (ENG) bt Phillip Barker (ENG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (36m); Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-6, 11-4,11-10 (4-2) (21m).—PPI
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