Iqbal Marks Up 2nd PSA Title of 2014 from PSA Media March 14, 2014 -
Top-ranked Pakistani Nasir Iqbal became the first player to win two PSA
World Tour titles this year when he beat fellow countryman Aamir Atlas
Khan in today’s final of the FMC Pakistan International Circuit 1, the
PSA Challenger 15 squash event at Punjab Squash Complex in Lahore,
Pakistan. The top seed from Bannu reached the final – his third in a row this year – without dropping a game. Fourth seed Khan, also
a former Pakistan No.1, pulled off a significant upset in the
semi-finals when he outlasted second seed Farhan Zaman in a 68-minute
battle which went the full distance – and which 23-year-old Khan just
clinched 19-17 in the decider. Despite the previous
day’s marathon, underdog Khan looked set to mastermind a second
successive upset when he built up a 2/1 lead over the favourite in the
final. But 19-year-old World
No.44 Iqbal held his nerve to draw level and maintain the upper hand
throughout the fifth to beat his World No.94-ranked opponent 11-7,
7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 19-17 after 68 minutes. The win marks the
seventh Tour title of Iqbal’s brief career to date – and follows his
title triumph in the Racquet Club Pro Series in the USA in January. RESULTS: FMC Pakistan International Circuit 1, Lahore, Pakistan 1st round: [1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)
bt [Q] Sadam Ul Haq
(PAK)
11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (24m) [8] Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) bt Mansoor Zaman (PAK) 9-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-9, 12-10 (57m) [7] Tayyab Aslam (PAK) bt Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari (PAK) 11-13, 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10 (68m) [3] Danish Atlas Khan
(PAK) bt Nosherwan Khan
(PAK)
11-4, 9-2 ret. [4] Aamir Atlas Khan
(PAK) bt [Q] Amaad Fareed
(PAK)
11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9 (36m) [6] Farhan Mehboob
(PAK) bt [Q] Raees Khan
(PAK)
8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 11-7 (52m) [5] Khawaja Adil
Maqbool (PAK) bt [Q] Bilal Zakir
(PAK)
11-13, 11-7, 11-3, 6-11, 11-5 (37m) [2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [WC] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 11-6, 11-8, 15-13 Quarter-finals: [1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [8] Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (27m) [3] Danish Atlas Khan
(PAK) bt [7] Tayyab Aslam
(PAK)
11-6, 13-11, 11-8 (50m) [4] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [6] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 12-10 ret. [2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt [5] Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 7-3 ret. Semi-finals: [1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)
bt [3] Danish Atlas Khan
(PAK)
11-8, 11-8, 11-7 (52m) [4] Aamir Atlas Khan
(PAK) bt [2] Farhan Zaman
(PAK)
11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 19-17 (68m) Final: [1] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)
bt [4] Aamir Atlas Khan
(PAK)
11-5, 6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9 (60m)
