KARACHI: Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal came close to glory but fell at the final hurdle as Egypt’s Salman Khalil clinched the PN Fleet Club Open International Squash Championship with a straight-games victory in the final here at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex on Tuesday.

The third-seeded Egyptian secured victory 14-12, 11-3, 13-11 in a contest that lasted 42 minutes.

Khalil, ranked 55th in the world, displayed aggressive attacking play throughout the match, edging a tight first game before dominating the second and holding his nerve in a closely contested third to seal the title. He prostrated in the court in celebration after the final point.

“It’s an honour to win here in Pakistan and win in front of a legend like Jahangir Khan,” Khalil said after the match.

He added that his experience in Pakistan was great, he felt welcomed and expressed his desire to compete in the country again.

Reflecting on the final, the 21-year-old Khalil said: “Final was tough, he made me work for the win. I said it before that his hands are very deceptive and he had very good control and I am proud of myself to push through it.”

Nasir, who had impressed in the semi-finals with a straight-games victory over Egypt’s Yassin Elshafei, struggled to find his rhythm against the Egyptian’s relentless pressure and admitted afterwards that he wasn’t able to keep up with Salman’s pace.

“If you want to beat players of this caliber then you need to train at this level throughout the year,” the 32-year-old said. “When you don’t train at this pace you can’t match it against the players in top competitions.”

Despite the defeat, the veteran took positives from the tournament.

“I was able to perform good at a tournament after a long time,” he said. “I worked really hard to prepare for this tournament but obviously we don’t get enough opportunities to play in top events frequently. That’s why it was evident that Salman’s pace was a bit better than mine as he plays in tours more.”

Nasir added that his ranking will improve and he will get more chances in international events.

“All and all it was a good tournament for me and there will be Asian Games in the future and I am ready for it too.”

The final was attended by squash legend Jahangir Khan. The championship, organised under the auspices of the Sindh Squash Association, carried a total prize purse of $41,000.

Former six-time world champion Jahangir expressed his desire to see Pakistani players qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics and win gold medals, adding that to emulate legends like himself and Jansher Khan, players must focus solely on the sport and hard work.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026