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| December 19, 2005 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 16, 1426 |
Shahid Zaman beaten in straight sets
KARACHI, Dec 18: Pakistan’s top player Shahid Zaman faced humiliating defeat to Englishman James Willstrop in straight sets in the second round of Saudi International squash championship, the second richest PSA Tour event of the year in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The 16th seed Pakistani was bucked off by Willstrop, who leapt to a career high world No2 this month in just 21 minutes, the fastest finish of the day with 11-6, 11-4, 11-4.
The eighth seed from England will now meet world No1 French Thierry Lincou in the last eight stage of the coveted event.
Lincou beat Gregory Gaultier after his compatriot retired injured midway through the second game, with the score standing at 11-7, 6-0.
Both David Palmer and Amr Shabana failed to make their seeded positions in the event.
Palmer, the sixth seed from Australia who currently heads the provisional January list, lost out 11-3, 11-10, 7-11, 11-5 in 56 minutes to an inspired Karim Darwish of Egypt, the 10th seed.
Shabana, the fourth seed playing his first PSA Tour event since lifting the World Open title for the second time earlier in the month, was unable to master England’s Nick Matthew and went down 11-8, 11-2, 6-11, 11-2 to the 11th seed in 41 minutes.
Matthew will now take on England team-mate Lee Beachill for a place in the semifinals, and Darwish faces second seed Canadian Jonathon Power - against whom he surprisingly boasts three wins out of their last four meetings on the PSA Tour.
Power took just 28 minutes to overcome Finn Olli Tuominen 11-2, 11-4, 11-1.
Results (2nd round): Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-7, 6-0 ret (23m), James Willstrop (ENG) bt Shahid Zaman (PAK) 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (21m), Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [13] Graham Ryding (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 10-11 (1-3), 11-6 (55m), Peter Nicol (ENG) bt John White (SCO) 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5 (60m), Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 7-11, 11-4 (58m), Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-8, 11-2, 6-11, 11-2 (41m), Karim Darwish (EGY) bt David Palmer (AUS) 11-3, 11-10 (2-0), 7-11, 11-5 (56m), Jonathon Power (CAN) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-2, 11-4, 11-1 (28m).—PPI
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