October 20, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 7, 1428

PESHAWAR, Oct 19: Pakistan’s top woman squash player and world no. 74 Maria Toorpakai Wazir has expressed her desire to win more laurels for the country at world level to reach top 10 ranking.

Talking to newsmen before leaving for Islamabad on Friday, Maria said that after the camp she will represent Pakistan in the Malaysia Open along with few other Pakistani players.

The 16-year-old teenager, who became the first Pakistani squash player to reach the quarter-finals of the WISPA Alexadria Open recently, has won 15 national titles and is the undisputed Pakistan number one today.

“I have time on my side and I’m trying hard to join top 10 rankings by playing more international events,” she said.

Maria, coached by prominent Peshawar player Fazal Shah, is regularly training at the PAF Hashim Khan Squash Complex for the Malaysian Open.

“During my practice, I also consulted Sir Fahim Gul and certainly utilized his valuable tips,” she added.

Maria also lauded Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) for their generous support and for providing her the services of a national level coach.

“The PSF definitely helps us a lot but what I need is consistent help from the federation to achieve my goals of becoming one of the top Pakistani players in world circuit.”—APP