February 10, 2008	Sunday	Safar 02,1429

KARACHI, Feb 9: Pakistan’s Mansoor Zaman claimed one of the most important triumphs of his career when he upset his second-seeded Asian rival Ong Beng Hee in the final of the Kolkata International to win the 3-star PSA Tour event at the Calcutta Rackets Club in Kolkata.

It was the pair’s 13th senior clash since contesting the Asian Junior Championships final in Beng Hee’s home country Malaysia in 1999 — with the Malaysian boasting a 9-3 head-to-head advantage before their first confrontation on Indian soil.

Currently languishing at 35 in the world rankings, his lowest position since reaching a career best of world No. 11 in May, 2003, Zaman the 27-year-old left-hander from Peshawar, was in inspired form in Kolkata.

He overcame cousin and former Pakistan number one Shahid Zaman in the quarter-finals before upsetting Egypt’s rising star Omar Mosaad, the No. 3 seed, in the semis.

The final saw him race to a two-game lead over Ong Beng Hee, who is ranked 18 in the world. Though the Malaysian came back to take the third game, Zaman stuck to his game plan, going on to win the match 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8 in 54 minutes.

Not only is this Zaman’s first ever PSA Tour win over Beng Hee, it is also his first title win from such a low-seeding for more than six years. It takes his tour title tally to six.

“Winning this tournament is a big occasion for me,” Zaman said after the match. “Perhaps I am in the best form of my career. My prime target at the moment is to break into the top 10 and I will probably reach it by the end of the year.”

Zaman, son of the former Pakistan great Qamar Zaman, is also eyeing the British Open about which he says: “A few great Pakistan players have their names in the honour list there and I want to emulate them.”—PPI