POF Women's Open

POF Women's Open 2005
Wah Cantt, Pakistan, 30 Aug - 02 Sep, $7k

02-Sep, FINAL:

[1] Carla Khan (Pak) bt [2] Sharon Wee (Mas)
9/1, 9/3, 9/4 (22m)

Photos: Alex Wan

Carla Khan

"Carla’s win will be a boost for the local women. It augurs well for the game where the Pakistani women are trying to break with tradition.

"I think Carla played brilliantly. With the home crowd behind her, she was fired up to win the championship like her male predecessors."

Sharon Wee
to the Malay Mail

Sharon Wee

CARLA CLAIMS POF TITLE

The first International Women's squash tournament to be held in Pakistan provided a home winner as Carla Khan, grand-daughter of Pakistani legend Azam Khan, cruised to a straight-games victory over Sharon Wee in the final at the Jahangir Khan squash complex in Wah Cantt.

She dedicated the trophy to her parents. "I am very glad to win this inaugural tournament in my own country Pakistan. It’s like a dream come true," she told reporters in her post match comments.

Former world squash champion Jahangir Khan was the chief guest on the occasion and appreciated the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) for organising the tournament and promoting the game among the women.

"Our girls lag far behind at international level and have to work very hard to prove their mettle at the world stage,” said the WSF President.

"After holding this successful women's international more such competitions should be arranged in Pakistan," added Khan.

PSF to support Carla

The most successful sportswoman in Pakistan’s sports history, Carla Khan told the local press that she had represented Pakistan playing squash tournaments world wide at her own expense

Khan, the England based world number 23, has represented Pakistan on the international squash circuit for six years.

Khan said that she is putting extra efforts to gain the world number one position in coming two years, though had never availed herself of the services of any coach.

"I am ready to get training in Pakistan for months if needed," she stated. "It would be positive if a Pakistan team was included in the Islamic women's games."

Pakistan Squash Federation secretary wing commander Zulfiqar Ahmad said that in future, the Federation would fully support Carla wherever she represents Pakistan.

POF Women's Open 2005 Wah Cantt, Pakistan, 30 Aug - 02 Sep, $7k
Round One Aug 30	Quarters Aug 31	Semis Sep 01	Final Sep 02
[1] Carla Khan (Pak) 9/2, 9/3, 9/0 (14m) [Q] Muqaddas Ashraf (Pak)	Carla Khan 9/3, 9/2, 9/3 (13m) Jenna Gates	Carla Khan 9/3, 9/1, 9/5 (22m) Delia Arnold	Carla Khan 9/1, 9/3, 9/4 (22m) Sharon Wee
[6] Jenna Gates (Eng) 9/2, 9/5, 9/6 (26m) Sally Looi (Mas)
Lim Woke Yah (Mas) 9/1, 9/2, 9/0 (18m) [LL] Misbah Rani (Pak)	Lim Woke Yah 3/9, 9/0, 9/6, 9/4 (41m) Delia Arnold
[8] Delia Arnold (Mas) 9/0, 9/5, 9/1 (16m) Anna Batool Kardar (Pak)
[Q] Maria Toor (Pak) 9/3, 9/4, 9/1 (23m) [5] Triciah Chuah (Mas)	Triciah Chuah 6/9, 9/0, 9/3, 9/6 (37m) Line Hansen	Triciah Chuah 7/9, 9/3, 5/9, 9/7, 9/5 (59m) Sharon Wee
Siti Munirah Juson (Mas) 9/0, 9/2, 9/0 (12m) [3] Line Hansen (Den)
[LL] Saima Shaukat (Pak) 9/0, 9/2, 9/0 (12m) [7] Lee Hai-Kyung (Kor)	Lee Hai-Kyung 2/9, 5/9, 9/1, 9/0, 9/2 (37m) Sharon Wee
Sarah Anwan (Pak) 9/0, 9/1, 9/1 (15m) [2] Sharon Wee (Mas)

Qualifying finals:
Maria Toor (Pak) bt Saima Shaukat (Pak)        9/4, 9/4, 9/2 (21m)
Muqaddas Ashraf (Pak) bt Misbah Rani (Pak)   9/4, 9/4, 9/7 (29m)

Qualifying first round:
Maria Toor (Pak) bt Zeba Pervaiz (Pak)          9-0, 9-1, 9-2 (13m)
Saima Shaukat (Pak) bt Mehwish Hanif (Pak) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1 (14m)
Misbah Rani (Pak) bt Sumera Haq (Pak)          w/o
Muqaddas Ashraf (Pak) bt Zoya Khalid (Pak)   9-4, 9-4, 9-5 (44m)

Top Two into POF Final

Top seeds Carla Khan and Sharon Wee will contest the final of the POF Open in Wah Cantt.

Khan continued her run of straight-game victories with a 9/3 9/1 9/5 dismissal of Delia Arnold, while Wee won an all-Malaysian tussle with Triciah Chuah, her second successive five-game victory, in just under an hour.

30-Aug: FIRST ROUND
Carla flies the flag for Pakistan

The first ever women's international tournament is under way at the Jahangir Khan squash complex at Wah Cantt, near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad.

Top seed Carla Khan, the English-based world number 23, ensured home representation in the quarter-finals with a 3/0 win over qualifier Muqaddas Ashraf, as five other home players all bowed out in the first round.

Saima Shaukat and Misbah Rani, the two Pakistanis who failed to make it through the qualifying finals, were given a boost when both were offered places in the main draw as lucky losers.

Rani stepped in when England's fourth seed Suzie Pierrepont had to withdraw at the eleventh hour when her passport was stolen during her journey home to Brighton in Sussex after journeying to London to acquire the appropriate visas for her Pakistan trip, and Shaukat replaced India's Joshna Chinappa.

Khan, the grand-daughter of Pakistan legend Azam Khan, meets England's Jenna Gates in the quarter-finals, while second-seeded Malaysian Sharon Wee faces Korean Lee Hai-Kyung.

Three other Malaysians will also compete for semi-final places, with Lim Woke Yah meeting Delia Arnold, and Triciah Chuah facing Denmark's Line Hansen.

31-Aug, Quarters:
Malaysians flying in POF

It was a good day for Malaysia at the Jahangir Squash Complex in Wah Cantt, as Delia Arnold, Triciah Chuah and Sharon Wee all reached the semi-finals.

Top seed Carla Khan cruised past England's Jenna Gates in just 13 minutes, and meets Arnold in the semi-finals after the eighth seed won her all-Malaysian showdown with Lim Woke Yah after dropping the first game.

A Malaysian finalist is guaranteed, as Wee and Chuah both overcame stern challenges in their quarter-finals.

Chuah, the fifth seed, produced the upset of the day as she defeated Denmark's Line Hansen, the third seed ranked just six place Chuah at 42 in the world rankings.

Wee was on the brink of a bigger upset, as she found herself two games down to Korea's Lee Hai Kyung - ranked 33 places below Wee. However the world number 24 rallied to reel off the final three games for the loss of just three points to reach the semi-finals.

Preview:
First WISPA Tournament
for Pakistan

Pakistan is to stage its first-ever international women’s squash tournament from today in a move that could open up the sport to female players in the conservative Islamic Republic, officials told The Daily Times.

Players from six countries - England, Malaysia, India, Korea, Denmark and hosts Pakistan will participate in the tournament at Wah Cantt near the capital, Islamabad.

England-based Pakistani Carla Khan, number 23 in the WISPA rankings, will lead the 16 players in the main rounds, which also feature number two seed Sharon Wee of Malaysia, Line Hansen of Denmark and Jenna Gates of England.

Pakistan will be represented by Anna Batool Kardar, Sarah Awan two qualifiers, including national women’s champion Maria Toor, and two 'lucky losers'.

Pakistan’s conservative society does not encourage women to play field sports, but there has been progress in women’s sports since Pakistan staged its first-ever women’s football match last year. Pakistan also staged its first national cricket championship for women in March, and a national football championship for women is set to be staged in Islamabad for the first time next month.

Female players are not allowed to wear T-shirts and shorts, while the Islamist-led government in the deeply religious North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan only recently ended a ban on male coaches for women. Pakistan has women’s national cricket and hockey teams and has sent at least one female athlete to each of the last two Olympics.

"Although it’s a small-prize money event of $7,000, this is the beginning of international women’s activities in Pakistan.

“One day all the top players will come to Pakistan because with smaller events like this we want to remove the misconception that Pakistan snubs women’s sports.”

Zulfiqar Ahmed
PSF Hon. Secretary

"It is a real delight for WISPA to bring our World Tour to any new country, but coming to Pakistan, a country with a wonderfully rich history in men's squash that is now firmly embracing women's squash, is a great boost.

"PSF said last year that they would put their toe in the water this year and we are sure that after this POF event they will want to jump in and splash around in the future! We are very grateful to them for this initiative."

Andrew Shelley
WISPA Executive Director