24-Aug, Final:

[1] Lisa Camilleri (Aus) bt [2] Maria Toor Pakay (Pak)
           11/6, 11/8, 10/12, 11/6 (34m)

Wah Cantt title for Camilleri

The home crowd at the Jahangir Khan squash complex in Wah Cantt, just outside the Pakistan capital Islamabad, were delighted to see local favourite Maria Toor Pakay, competing in her first WISPA final.

Maria pushed top seed Lisa Camilleri to four games but the Australian finally came through to take the title, the seventh of her career - the fifth this year alone.

Sima Pad Bod reports

Today I was amazed how well Maria played. The first two games went with long rallies, lots of lengths and cross courts ... just basic squash ... but the court was too bouncy and was hard for both players to put the ball away from each other.

In the third when Lisa was leading 7/3, Maria really fought hard and tried to pick up everything and hit some nice winners. But when Lisa was 9/6 up she started to play a bit too safely I guess, letting Maria come back again to take the game into a tie-break. Maria managed to move her in the next couple of rallies and took the game 12/10.

In the middle of the fourth Lisa seemed to have got into her game again, and this time it was Maria who was making mistakes. But Lisa managed to keep it - despite lots of interferences and her not being able to move easily, particularly in the front - until the end as she finished the match off 3/1.

The organization was just perfect as always, and Lisa and Maria were like super stars today!

"I am very happy with my win today. Maria played very well and the ball is very bouncy on court which suited her game very well.

"The tournament was very well organized. They look after us players very well.

"Pleased to take the win today as it will do wonders for my ranking."

"I tried my best to win the final but Lisa played very well and  I enjoyed the match. It is my first time playing the final of any International tournaments but over all it was so great.

"Well if this time I reached the final, next time I will try to win it! I will remember all the moments, great moments of my hard squash life!

"I would like to pay my special thanks to my coaches Fazal Shah and Fahim Gul, who worked really hard to make me reach the final this time of this 4th POF WISPA Tournament."



"Maria, my student, my player, she played much much better today. She came back in the 3rd game and played beautiful shots. Overall she tried her best but this time she could not make it. I hope that next time she'll be in the final and to win t.

"The greatest thing is that she is the first Pakistani girl who played the final of an International tournament. I always pray for her and will train her to the best of my ability!"


Maria's coach

Maria with her proud parents

23-Aug, Semis:

[1] Lisa Camilleri (Aus) bt [3] Fiona Moverley (Eng)                11/8, 11/6, 11/13, 11/2 (33m)
[2] Maria Toor Pakay (Pak) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (Egy)   12/10, 6/11, 11/8, 11/5 (33m)

Maria makes WISPA final debut

Pakistan squash star Maria Toor Pakay will make her debut in a WISPA final after beating Egypt's Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in the semi-finals at the Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Wah Cantt, Pakistan.

The second seed from Islamabad will face Australian favourite Lisa Camilleri in the climax of the event in its fourth year in the Pakistan city.

Toor Pakay, the 17-year-old who became her country's national champion in 2007, ended the run of unseeded 14-year-old Egyptian schoolgirl Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in 33 minutes.

The other semi-final was concluded in exactly the same time - when Queenslander Camilleri despatched England's No3 seed Fiona Moverley.

Unlike Pakay, the Australian is celebrating the seventh Tour final of her career - and her sixth this year! The 25-year-old is now one win away from her fifth title success.
  

"So happy!!! So happy!!!

"It’s the first time for me to reach the final of an International tournament…

"But it’s the happiest moment of my life to reach the final in my home country! I hope to win the final also!"

Photos & Quotes from
Sima Pad Bod

"I am very happy with my match today. The pace was a lot faster than me previous matches of this tournament. The heat got to me in the third game and I found it very hard to put the ball away as it is so bouncy on court. My opponent Fiona played really well in the third game.

"I am very happy to be playing in the final tomorrow.

"Over the past three months I have been training in Brisbane under the AIS and I’d like to thank Byron Davis for spending time with and allowing me to use the AIS facilities."



"I enjoyed my semi final match against Lisa. It was really warm on court so we both struggled to play any winning shots.

"I was disappointed that I did not push forward and attack more because when I did I felt more confident. Instead I hung back and let Lisa control the game which meant I was always on the defensive.

"It was a hard game but with the new scoring system I can’t afford to make as many errors as I did in that match.”

"I’m so disappointed about the first game because I thought I would win it, but it ended 12/10 for her.

"I tried to do the best in the second game and actually I took it as I was playing very well and winning all my shots with drops in the nick.

"The third game was very tough for us both because we were running a lot and getting very tired. The forth game went a bit faster because Maria was taking every shot in the air to the nick!!!

"I really played well and I did my best. Hope she plays well tomorrow…Khalass!"

11/8, 11/6, 11/13, 11/2 (33m)

[3] Fiona Moverley

11/6, 11/8, 10/12, 11/6 (34m)
 

[2] Maria Toor Pakay

12/10, 6/11, 11/8, 11/5 (33m)

[2] Maria Toor Pakay

20-Aug, Qualifying

Finals:
Mahwish Hanif (Pak) bt Riffat Khan (Pak)             11/9, 12/10, 9/11, 6/11, 11/7
Habiba Khan (Pak) bt Maliha Shahid (Pak)           11/6, 11/9, 7/11, 11/7
Gul Zaman (Pak) bt Andleeb Younas (Pak)          11/6, 11/6, 11/3
Zeba Pervaiz (Pak) bt Amna Mehboob (Pak)        11/3, 11/7, 11/6

Round One:
Andleeb Younas (Pak) bt Noor Fatima (Pak)         11/3, 11/2, 11/5


2007 Event        2006 Event          2005 Event

"It was an easy match. Easier than yesterday with Muqaddas. I tried to control the T.

"I didn't do much running, trying to save energy for tomorrow.

"I am very proud because it's my first time to enter the semis in a WISPA tournament...KHALASS!"

The plucky youngster will now face her third Pakistani opponent when she meets Maria Toor Pakay for a place in the final. The 17-year-old Pakistan number one from Islamabad beat compatriot Zoya Khalid.

The other semi-final will be an Anglo/Australian clash between top seed Lisa Camilleri and third seed Fiona Moverley. Queenslander Camilleri defeated Egypt’s fifth seed Nouran El Torky, while Moverley, from Yorkshire, beat unseeded Pakistani Saima Shoukat.

  

Wah bombings stun women squash players

Karachi, Aug 21 (IANS) Pakistani squash officials were Thursday making desperate attempts to save an international women's tournament from falling victim to a couple of bombings in Wah that killed more than 50 people.

Players from various countries including India, Egypt and Russia were in action at a squash complex just a stone's throw away from the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) in Wah - an industrial town situated just 30 km away from capital Islamabad -- when a suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up at the main entrance to the facility, killing dozens of people.

The foreign players are in Wah to feature in the POF WISPA Open, one of the biggest women's squash event hosted by Pakistan on an annual basis.

A player competing in the tournament told IANS that all participants are very scared following the bombings and some of the them want to fly back home.

But a Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) official said that the tournament will continue in spite of the bombings.

"During my match today my game plan was to keep the ball deep and play a very patient game.

"I knew my opponent had a very good short game and her movement on court is extremely good. I had to concentrate on keeping the ball as tight to the side walls as possible.

"This is my first time to Pakistan and they are looking after us very well but there was a scare yesterday with the two suicide blasts that took place down the road in the city of Wah Cantt, which seems to always be in the back of your mind.

"But I have to concentrate on my Squash play well and hopefully get home on Monday."

"It was really a good experience for me to play with Lisa, but I really tried to do my best. She's extremely good. I think she played well today.

"The organization of the tournament and the security is very well. This is my first time to Pakistan as it is my first time to travel on my own.

"So it's a very hard experience for me, but the bomb blasts of yesterday scared us somehow because it wasn't too far away from us. But everything is going very well now."

"Today I was very sad and mentally confused.

"Inshallah next WISPA tournament."

"I won my quarter-final match 3-0 but did not play very well. My opponent was strong and hard hitter so I just concentrate on slowing the game and keeping the ball tight.

"It's important I stayed focussed and played my game. Overall the tournament is going well. I'm through to the semis which is what I was seeded to do.

"It had been an experience coming to Pakistan, an unexpected suicide bomb attack happened down the road from us which is quite scary. The security is very good and everyone has told us not to worry. I just hope nothing else happens so I can get home on Monday."

"I'm so happy to be in the semis. Hope to reach the final Inshallah."

21-Aug, Round One:
Kanzy Captures Ashraf Crown

Local star Muqaddas Ashraf, the No4 seed, crashed out after a shock straight games defeat by unseeded Egyptian schoolgirl Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in the first round.

El-Defrawy, a 14-year-old from Alexandria making her debut in the main draw of a Tour event, despatched 21-year-old Ashraf in just 18 minutes – and now faces another Pakistani for a place in the semi-finals.

Rushna Mehboob, the eighth seed from Lahore, needed only four minutes to claim her place in the quarter-finals, beating Gul Zaman after her fellow countrywoman, a qualifier, retired injured after one game.

Ashraf’s surprise early exit was balanced by the surprise success of fellow Pakistani Saima Shoukat – the unseeded 23-year-old from Lahore who ousted sixth-seeded Iranian Sima Padbod.