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COAS International 2008
Islamabad, Pakistan,
01-05 Apr, $25k |
05-Apr, Final:
Comeback man Aamir
captures COAS title
From Associated Press of Pakistan
A resilient Aamir Atlas Khan knocked out Yasir Butt in
straight games to capture the title of 6th COAS International at
Mushaf Squash Complex on Saturday.
Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani gave away
the trophies after Aamir Atlas fought off a stiff but vulnerable
challenge from lanky Yasir Butt to win the 38-minute final of the
championship which carried a prize money of US $ 25,000.
Diminutive Aamir was trailing in all three games but successfully
applied a long-rallies strategy to post a 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 victory
over Yasir Butt who was again unable to shake off his tendency to
wilt under pressure.
This was the first international victory for the world no. 33 Aamir
since his top prize in the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International
Championship in August last year.
 “I
tried to involve Yasir in long rallies and my strategy worked”,
Aamir said. ”I really played extraordinary squash because I came
from behind in all three games though luck was also on my side.”
Aamir said President of Pakistan Squash Federation, Air Chief
Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, has promised to send him to 13
international squash tournaments in 2008, which will greatly improve
his world rankings.
“I am low on world rankings right now because I have not played any
international tournaments in the last four months but by playing
more international competitions, I hope to improve my rankings.”
As compared to Aamir’s no. 33 world ranking, Yasir was world no. 63
but he had made himself favourite for the final by beating world no.
17 Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia, who was the top seed here, in the very
first match of the main draw and later also ousted better-ranked
compatriot Farhan Mehboob.
Those facts counted for little against Aamir Atlas who was 3-8
behind in the first game before taking an 8-7 lead and then wrapping
up the game on what looked like a “let” but referee Tahir Khanzadah
called it a point despite Yasir’s protests.
In the second game too, Yasir led 3-0 only to see Aamir go 5-3
ahead. Yasir then surged to 8-5 lead and then had a game point at
10-9 before Aamir saved the game point and then won at 12-10.
Aamir came from behind in the third game also to win the match. “I
do have the tendency to give in under pressure. Luck also favoured
Aamir, I will say,” he added.
Lt. Gen. (R) Zarrar Azim, President of Punjab Squash Association,
which organised the championship, presented the address of welcome.
In his address, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani praised the standard of
the game in the final and lauded the efforts to revive this sport in
the country.
“Pakistan has produced world champions like Jansher Khan and
Jahangir Khan and I am very much confident that this country will
have such great players again,” he said.
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Mushaf squash complex
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 COAS
International 2008
Islamabad, Pakistan, 01-05 Apr, $25k |
Round One
02-Apr |
Quarters
03-Apr |
Semis
04-Apr |
Final
05-Apr |
[1] Ong Beng Hee (Mas)
11/9, 9/1 rtd (10m)
Majid Khan (Pak) |
[1] Ong Beng Hee
11/7, 11/5, 11/4 (32m)
[8] Yasir Butt |
[8] Yasir Butt
11/6, 11/8, 11/9 (30m)
[6] Farhan Mehboob |
[8] Yasir Butt
11/9, 12/10, 11/9 (38m)
[4] Aamir Atlas Khan |
[8] Yasir Butt (Pak)
11/8, 11/5, 11/6 (33m)
[Q] Wasim Shad (Pak) |
[3] Mansoor Zaman
(Pak)
12/10, 12/10, 11/6 (28m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) |
Robbie Temple
11/7, 11/2, 12/10 (32m)
[6] Farhan Mehboob |
[6] Farhan Mehboob
(Pak)
11/4, 11/7, 11/4 (25m)
[Q] Aqib Hanif (Pak) |
Shoaib Hassan (Pak)
11/8, 11/4, 11/7 (30m)
[5] Saurav Ghosal (Ind) |
[5] Saurav Ghosal
11/9, 11/3, 13/11 (26m)
[4] Aamir Atlas Khan |
[4] Aamir Atlas Khan
11/8, 14/12, 12/10 (32m)
[2] Jonathan Kemp |
[Q] Arshad Iqbal Burki
(Pak)
11/8, 11/9 rtd (18m)
[4] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) |
[Q] Waqar Mehboob (Pak)
11/8, 11/9, 11/6 (35m)
[7] Shahid Zaman (Pak) |
[7] Shahid Zaman
11/2, 11/7, 11/3 (17m)
[2] Jonathan Kemp |
Adil Maqbool (Pak)
11/4, 12/10, 11/5 (18m)
[2] Jonathan Kemp (Eng) |
01-Apr, Qualifying Finals:
Arshad Iqbal Burki (Pak) bt Safeer Ullah Khan (Pak)
11/8, 8/11, 11/9, 12/10 (50m)
Waqar Mehboob (Pak) bt Amjad Khan (Pak)
8/11, 9/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/5 (43m)
Wasim Shad (Pak) bt Mamoon Rasheed (Pak)
10/12, 11/3, 11/5, 11/3 (32m)
Aqib Hanif (Pak) bt Shams Ul Islam (Pak)
11/5, 11/7, 11/7 (34m)
31-Mar, Qualifying Round One:
Arshad Iqbal Burki (Pak) bt Sheikh Saqib (Pak)
11/6, 12/10, 11/8 (32m)
Mamoon Rasheed (Pak) bt Tariq Manzoor (UAE)
11/1, 11/1, 11/2 (11m)
Waqar Mehboob (Pak) bt Farhan Zaman (Pak)
11/7, 11/9, 11/7 (28m)
Safeer Ullah Khan (Pak) bt Alamzeb Jnr (Pak)
7/11, 11/9, 11/3, 11/7 (33m)
Shams Ul Islam (Pak) bt Kashif Khan (Pak)
9/11, 11/7, 11/5, 11/3 (41m)
Aqib Hanif (Pak) bt Farzan Rasheed (Pak)
9/11, 8/11, 12/10, 11/5, 11/5 (46m)
Amjad Khan (Pak) bt Danish Atlas (Pak)
11/6, 11/4, 11/6 (22m)
Wasim Shad (Pak) bt Bilal Zaman (Pak)
15/13, 11/7, 11/9 (45m)
2007 Event
2006 Event
2005 Event
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04-Apr, Semis:
Home winner
guaranteed
in Islamabad
Pakistan's
Yasir Butt followed up yesterday's defeat of top seed Ong
Beng Hee with a straight-games win over higher-seeded compatriot
Farhan Mehboob to reach the final of the COAS International at the
Mushaf Squash complex.
"There was already some pressure on Farhan as in the quarter-final I
defeated the top seed," Yasir told Dawn. "I had gained immense
confidence after that win."
A home winner is guaranteed, as Aamir Atlas Khan also
overturned the seedings with a 3/0 over England's Jonathan Kemp.
"I think I got some bad decisions in the first which had an impact
on my game," said Kemp. "But the match turned in favour of Atlas in
the second and third games, and I made errors at crucial moments."
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Mushaf squash complex
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03-Apr, Quarters:
Butt beats Bengy
in COAS Quarters
Pakistan's
Yasir Butt sensationally beat top seed Ong Beng Hee in
straight games in the quarter-finals of the COAS International in
Islamabad.
Ong, winner of the KL Open last month and up five places to number
12 in the latest world rankings, crashed out to the eighth seed in
just 32 minutes.
A home finalist is guaranteed, as Farhan Mehboob beat
yesterday's giant-killer Robbie Temple to set up a meeting with Butt
in the semis.
Pakistan number one Aamir Atlas Khan beat his Indian
counterpart Saurav Ghosal, winning a close third game on extra
points.
England's Jonathan Kemp, seeded two, prevented an
all-Pakistani semi-final lineup as he beat Shahid Zaman in straight
games. Both players are renowned as shotmakers, and the match lasted
ust 17 minutes.
02-Apr, Round One:
Temple topples Mansoor
in Islamabad upset ...
 All
but one seed progressed to the quarter-finals of the COAS
International at the Musharraf Squash Complex in Islamabad, as
England's unseeded Robbie Temple created a major upset,
scoring the best win of his career.
Drawn against the Pakistan number one Mansoor Zaman, Temple emerged
the straight-games winner against the third seed, and now faces
another Pakistani, Farhan Mehboob, for a place in the
semi-finals.
In fact, all four of the quarter-finals will feature a home player
pitched against an international visitor ... |
Mushaf squash complex
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