08-Feb, Final:
[5] Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt [2] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 11/8,  11/7, 4/11, 11/8 (54m)

"This is a big occasion winning this tournament. Perhaps I am in the best form of my career, at the moment my prime target is to break into top 10 and probably I will reach there by the year end.

"My next target is the British Open. A few great Pakistani players have their names in the honour list there and I want to emulate them ..."

"I had no answers to his delicate shots. I played below par, but he is a great player.

"If he can continue with this form, very soon he would break the top 10 barrier."

07-Feb, Semis:
[5] Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt [3] Omar Mosaad (Egy)   11/5, 4/11, 7/11, 11/7, 11/9 (45m)
[2] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt [6] Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)   11/8, 9/11, 6/11, 11/8, 11/4 (70m)

"Tonight I played ok in the beginning, but for some reason half way through second and third mentally I was a bit too relaxed because I was up every game and just maybe I'd have won 3-0 if I had concentrated better!!..

"Credit goes to Omar who fought very hard and made my job difficult to win eventually!!.. The ball is still flying around!

"It would would have sucked if I'd lost tonight because it's Chinese New Year and I'm playing squash when everyone back home is chilling out and getting fat!!! I need to speak to the Chinese people about the timing of this new year !!!

Whilst this will be the first PSA Tour final in which the two Asians have met, they have contested one Asian Junior Championship final (in 1999, won by Zaman); one Asian Games final (in 2002, won by Beng Hee); and three Asian Championships' finals (in 2000, 2002 and 2004, all won by the Malaysian). 
 

"I played well but not perfect, I lost my concentration a lot in the match and he was playing very well , he was doing lots of good shots from everywhere. Anyway I wasn't lucky today and I would like to thank the sponsors and the manager of the tournament.

"I was really up for it today and Beng Hee, all credit to him as an experienced player, he knows how to play when he is down. The fourth game was the match for me when it was 8 all, but after all I'm happy with the way I pushed strongly as I could. Food luck to the guys in the final ..."

In the Papers ...
Saurav Ousted - Outlook India
Azlan's form causes concern - NST

06-Feb, Quarter-Finals
Kolkata Quarters
Photos & Interviews from Marwan El Shorbagy

Home interest ended in Calcutta with Indian number one Saurav Ghosal losing out in four games to Egypt's Omar Mosaad.

Mosaad will face Mansoor Zaman for a place in the final, the Pakistani beating his cousin and yesterday's giant-killer Shahid Zaman, also in four games.

The bottom half of the draw also features an Egyptian, Omar Abdel Aziz overcoming Pakistani number one Aamir Atlas Khan in a five-game thriller to set up a semi-final clash with Malaysia's second seed Ong Beng Hee.

"Bouncy bouncy and hot! I really start unconfident, second game I found my game, used the back corners very well and then from then I had arrived in the match.

"The third game was close but he finished it with three winners. At the start of the fourth I gave it all then it worked for a game and half until I was 7-3 up in the fifth. Then three big rallies, but was all in the head ... 

"Looking forward to tomorrow's match ... Thankk uuu man......."

"At the beginning of the match I wasn't concentrated. At 7/4 I started to concentrate and I started to play my game and won it 11/8.

"Then in the second he played very well. The third was a very important game and it was a very good game to win. In the fourth I played well and he got tired.

"Anyway I am very happy to reach the semi-final. Mansoor is a good player but I hope to win ..."

"Today I played well. The second game was very close and I managed to sneaked it. Finally my experience is paying off at crucial stages - it's about time that happened!!"

"Happy with the way I'm playing this week hopefully that will carry on .. it's Chinese New Year tomorrow so it would be great to notch up another win then !!

11/8,  11/7, 4/11, 11/8 (54m)

[2] Ong Beng Hee

04-Feb, Qualifying Finals:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Naresh Kumar (Ind)  12/10, 11/2, 11/9 (27m)
Jethro Binns (Wal) bt Mohamed El Keiy (Egy)            11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (24m)
Gaurav Nandrajog (Ind) bt Jonas Laursen (Den)        11/5, 11/3, 11/7 (23m)
Rob Sutherland (Wal) bt Lucas Jelinek (Cze)             11/7, 11/9, 11/2 (29m)

03-Feb, First Round:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)                               bye
Naresh Kumar (Ind) bt Ravi Dixit (Ind)                11/7, 11/6, 11/9 (23m)
Mohamed El Keiy (Egy) bt Paramit Singh (Ind)     11/4, 11/6, 11/3 (23m)
Jethro Binns (Wal) bt Navin Samarasinghe (Ind)  11/4, 11/5, 11/7 (24m)
Jonas Laursen (Den) bt Duncan Walsh (Eng)        6/11, 12/10, 8/11, 11/6 15/13 (55m)
Gaurav Nandrajog (Ind) bt Karan Malik (Ind)       11/0, 11/2, 11/7 (16m)
Lucas Jelinek (Cze) bt Ramit Tandon (Ind)           6/11, 11/5 12/10, 11/3 (34m)
Rob Sutherland (Wal)                                         bye

Thanks to Marwan El Shorbagy for the draw & results

"It was a good match with Ritwik, but the court is little bouncy and hot as well ... but that doesn't affect you when you are fit.

"I did very hard training for this tournament and I will do my best to win it.

"I already beat Azlan and Beng Hee in the C.A.S international and I have a chance to repeat it here ...

A Pakistani semi-finalist was guaranteed when Shahid Zaman showed a return to the form of which he is capable, beating top seed Azlan Iskandar in four games, and Farhan Mehboob made it four as he ousted Siddarth Suchde in straight games.

The sole success for the hosts came when Saurav Ghosal overcame a first-game loss to beat Egypt's new wunderkid Mohamed El Shorbagy, setting up a quarter-final with another Egyptian multiple-BJO champion, Omar Mosaad.

"I played well, felt I could have won it though.

"Game ball in the first was crucial and then I made a couple of bad decisions at crucial points in the fourth when I was 6-3 up.

"I was quite please to grind out the third, I was 10-6 match ball down and played some pretty good stuff from there to get back into the match.

"He was very very good at the front though and I've never seen so many perfect rollers off the serve ..."

"It was a quick match and he was very fast on the court. In the first game I was trying to keep the ball to the back and in the second I was trying to control the T and do make good shots. It was a quick game and the same in the third ..."

"I'm very happy to beat him because my game was going down, but I'm well prepared for this tournament and hopefully I will do well in further rounds... I'm now very confident after beating the top seed ..."





"After I was 2/0 up I relaxed and then after losing the third game I felt  the pressure and my shots were not going perfect, but he got tired and I took the advantage...

Now I'm looking forward to play against my sweet cousin and brother-in-law ... hopefully we will have a great match ...

"Unfortunately for Mansi he only arrived today so obviously he was very tired, and that made my job a lot easier on court!!"

"It's always hard to play well in the first match but I am happy with the way I played.

"I played a very fast pace in the first game and it was working quite well because these courts are very fast and very bouncy.

"I was 10/6 up and lost concentration but I am happy that I won it. From the second I started to slow down the pace and it was going well.

"The third was quite tough, he was playing very well in that game, but I am happy that I finished in three today.

"I am feeling fresh and I am ready for tomorrow, it is going to be very tough match against Saurav ..."

"I played well today. I was pretty solid, I hit a good length and played fairly quickly. I think he got frustrated and went for a few too many shots."

"I played ok, hit quite a good length and took him in short quickly when he hit a loose ball.

"The game was fairly high tempo and he tired early on in the third."