ISLAMABAD - Pakistan number 1 squash player and former world number 14 Farhan Mehboob started his $15,000 Challenger 15 11th Chief of Naval Staff Squash Championship campaign on a very high note as he brushed aside the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) blessed child Farhan Zaman and one of the members to represent Pakistan in the prestigious Asian Senior Individual Squash Championship in Kuwait next month in straight games in only 24 minutes in the first round match played at Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, Karachi Saturday.
While the reigning Asian Senior Individual Squash champion Aamir Atlas Khan also started his first round campaign on a winning note but was taken to the wire by Waqas Mehboob, younger brother of Farhan, as he lost in 5-game marathon match in 66 minutes.
PSF tall claims regarding providing high profile coaching to players and hiring Faheem Gul as coach for the senior players also exposed badly as Zaman never looked like even competing against Mehboob, winning was not more than a day dreaming as unseeded Mehboob teaches Zaman a squash lesson. Mehboob, who is treated like an alien by the federation despite being number 1 and a true champion, showed his class, as he wasted very little time to win 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 to register a thumping 3-0 victory in one-sided match in only 36 minutes. Mehboob proved a point to federation, andthere is still some time left and Group Captain Amir Nawaz must set his ego aside and give priority to genuine contenders like Mehboob and Aamir Atlas in the Asian Senior Individual Squash Championship, or else he would be solely held responsible in case Pakistan lose the coveted title.
In the second match Aamir Atlas had to dig deep to beat Waqas 3-2 in 55 minutes. Despite out of practice and deeply disappointed with federation behaviour, Aamir decided to take part in the event. Aamir lost the first game 10-12 before winning next two games 11-3 and 11-6, but he lost 4th game 11-13 to take the match into fifth, where he finally prevailed and took the game 11-9.
Top seed Nasir Iqbal, who just came back from England, had to face stiff resistance at the hands of unknown Aamir Malik in the first game before completing a routine victory 12-10, 11-4, 11- in 24 minutes. 5th seed Tayyab Aslam also faced very tough 4-game challenge from Faraz Muhammad before winning 10-12, 11-9, 12-10 and 11-4 in 55 minutes. Shahjahan Khan beat Ahsan Ayaz 3-1 in 61 minutes, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5 and 11-2,
4th seed Danish Atlas Khan thrashed so-called squash future of Pakistan, M Asim Khan 11-5, 11-4 and 11-5 in just 27 minutes. Khawaja Adil Maqbool beat Saddamul Haq 3-2 in 49 minutes, winning 15-13, 3-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-4. M Saquib Yousaf beat Abbas Shoukat 3-1 in 46 minutes, winning 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 12-10.
Top seed Nasir faces Tayyab in the first quarterfinal. Shahjahan faces Farhan challenge. Danish takes on Adil and MSaquib Yousaf is pitted against Aamir Atlas in the 4th and last quarterfinal. Commander Karachi Vice Admiral Syed Arif Ullah Hussaini was the chief guest at the opening ceremony, while squash legend Jahangir Khan and Commodore Zahid Iqbal PN Commandant PNS Jauhar along with other dignitaries and squash lovers were also present.