WORLD SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: Qatar Squash Circuit Event No2, Doha, Qatar
1st round:
[1] Mike Corren (AUS) bt Umar Zaman (UAE) 11-15, 15-8, 15-12, 15-12
Ali Alqashoti (QAT) bt Safeerullah Khan (PAK) w/o
[4] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt James Powley (ENG) 15-7, 15-7, 15-4
[6] John Rooney (IRL) bt Khalid Alqashoti (QAT) w/o
Bahi Taher (QAT) bt Amr Mansi (EGY) w/o
Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [5] Saud Alsulaiti (QAT) 15-7, 15-8, 15-7
Mark Price (AUS) bt Adam Stevenson (ENG) w/o
[3] Marcus Smith (AUS) bt Amjad Iqbal (QAT) 15-11, 15-7, 15-3
Quarter-finals:
[1] Mike Corren (AUS) bt Ali Alqashoti (QAT) 15-7, 15-9, 15-11
[6] John Rooney (IRL) bt [4] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 15-9, 17-14, 15-7
Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Bahi Taher (QAT) 15-9, 10-15, 15-4, 15-10
[3] Marcus Smith (AUS) bt Mark Price (AUS) 15-9, 15-11, 15-12
PSA Players Defy Conflict To Compete In Qatar
Despite a number of last-minute withdrawals due to the nearby conflict in
Iraq, the Qatar Squash Circuit Event No2 got underway in the country's
capital city Doha without incident.
The top two seeded players Mike Corren and Marcus Smith, both from Australia,
moved comfortably into the last four of the PSA Tour Super Satellite event
after two rounds of action.
Corren, the favourite from Adelaide, overcame local based Pakistani Umar
Zaman in the opening round, then local player Ali Alqashoti in the
quarter-finals - while Smith, the Townsville-born third seed, registered
straight games wins over Qatar's Amjad Iqbal then compatriot Mark Price in
the last eight.
Ireland's John Rooney, who made a last-minute decision to become the only
European to fly into Doha following encouragement from his father, was helped
by a walkover in the first round after the withdrawal of local player Khalid
Alqashoti. Seeded six, Rooney then upset Pakistan's fourth seed Arshad Iqbal
Burki 15-9 17-14 15-7 to reach an unexpected semi-final berth, where he will
face top-seeded Corren.
Pakistan's 17-year-old Khalid Atlas Khan won a place in the quarter-finals
after despatching Qatar's highest-ranked player Saud Alsulaiti, the fifth
seed, 15-7 15-8 15-7 in the opening round. He then became the only unseeded
player through to the semi-finals when he beat local wildcard player Bahi
Taher 15-9 10-15 15-4 15-10.