LONDON, Jan 3: Pakistani players made a winning start in the 2008 British Junior Open Squash Championships which got underway in Sheffield (England) from Wednesday.

According to the details available here of the opening round results on Thursday, only one Pakistani player among the twelve representing the country lost his match on the first day of the prestigious tournament.

Kamran Khan, the Malaysian-born son of the former Pakistan world champion Jansher Khan inflicted a defeat on Pakistan’s Owais Khan in the boys’ under-19 in four games to proceed to the second round.

Pakistan’s top junior player Shoaib Hassan made short work of England’s Chris Rusling in his opening match of the boys under-19 event. His other compatriots also won their respective first round matches.

Pakistan is being represented by ten boys and two girls in the various age group events of the British Junior Open that has attracted top junior players from around the world.

In the girls event, Pakistani title contender Maria Toor Pakaay thrashed Ashieigh Ditchfield of South Africa 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 to enter the second round of the girls under-19 contest. Pakistan’s Roshna Mehboob also won her opening round match in the girls’ under-17 event.

Following are the results of Pakistani players:

Boys’ Under-19:

First round: Shoaib Hassan bt Chris Rusling (Eng) 9-2, 9-0, 9-5; Sheikh Saqib bt Ky Hibbered (Eng) 9-3, 9-4,9-2; M. Bilal bt Karan Kanodia (Ind) – walkover; Waqar Mehboob bt Sam Wileman (Eng) 9-10, 9-3, 9-4, 9-1; 5.Kamran Khan (Mas) bt Owais Khan 9-6, 8-10, 9-6, 9-3

Boys’ Under-17:

First round: Aurangzeb Mehmund bt Alian Mudeen (Eng) 9-7 ,9-2, 10-8; Hamza Bokhari bt Phillip Waller (Eng) 9-2,9-6, 9-6; Danish Atlas bt Karan Kanodia (Ind) 9-5, 9-3, 5-9, 9-4; Nosherwan bt Sam Wileman (Eng) 9-1, 9-1, 9-1; Farhan Zaman bt Juan Pablo (Colombia) 9-5, 9-0, 9-0

Boys’ Under-15:

First round: Nasir Iqbal bt Thomas Roden (Eng) 9-0, 9-0, 9-0; Haroon Rashid bt Wesket Giwekk (Eng) 9-2, 9-0, 9-0

Girls’ Under-19:

Second round: Maria Toor bt Ashieigh Ditchfield (RSA) 9-0, 9-0, 9-0.

Girls’ Under-17:

First round: Rushna Mehboob bt Nayera El Refee (Egy) 9-1, 9-0, 9-1.—Agencies

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