LAHORE - Pakistan’s Tayyab Aslam and France Melissa Alves clinched the titles in the Faletti’s International Men’s and Women’s Squash Championships 2018 here at the four-walled glass courts at Falett’s Hotel on Wednesday.
Tayyab shocked top seed Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen 3-2 in the epic 70-minute final. Right from the beginning, Tayyab was in great form and shape to face tough fight from his opponent and fought till the end to tame the Malaysian to grab the title.
Ivan had to struggle hard to win the first game 11/9. The second game saw Tayyab making a strong comeback and putting in incredible performance to tame high-flying Ivan to take the game 11/6. The Malaysian once again made his presence felt by playing some classic shots and powerful hits to win the third game 11/8.
The fourth game belonged to Tayyab, who started playing his natural game with better game planning, which helped him put Ivan under pressure and take the game 11/6. In the highly-charged fifth and decisive, both the players fought for each and every point till the end and made it 10-all. Needing just two points to score title victory, Tayyab showed his class, stamina and pace to overcome his opponent and took the game 12/10 to register hard-earned title triumph.
Punjab Sports Minister Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti was chief guest at the concluding ceremony and gave away trophies to the finalists. Squash legend Jahangir Khan, Malaysian Ambassador in Pakistan Ikram Bin Mohammad Ibrahim, Faletti’s Hotel Director Operations Irshad B Anjum, Bahria Town Chief Executive Amber Riaz Malik, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Secretary Tahir Sultan, Punjab Squash Association (PSA) President Dr Nadeem Mukhtar, Secretary Sheraz Saleem, Treasurer Tariq Siddique Malik, Vice President Tariq Farooq Rana, tournament referee Tahir Khanzada and passionate squash lovers were also present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, unseeded French player Melissa Alves annexed the Faletti’s International Women’s Squash Championship trophy by stunning fourth seed Farida Mohamed of Egypt by 3-1. Melissa, who overpowered top players of the event to reach the final, played superb squash to win the trophy. She was off to flying start as she won the first game 11/2. The Egyptian bounced back well in the second game and made it 7/7, but Melissa once again played superbly and won the next four points in a row to win the game 11/7.
The third game saw Farida changing her game plan and playing aggressive squash to put her opponent under pressure. The move paid dividend and helped her take the game 11/5. In the highly-charged fourth game, both the players were involved in tough battle and denying each other from taking decisive lead. It was 10-all at one stage and anyone could win it, but Melissa held on to her nerves to dominate the final, winning the decisive game 12/10 to grab the trophy in 33 minutes.
Food Minster Punjab Sami Khan, legend Jahangir Khan, Faletti’s Director Operations Irshad B Anjum, Bahria Town CEO Amber Riaz Malik graced the women’s event as chief guests and distributed prizes among the winners.