Pakistan Circuit #2

22-Jun, Final:

Shahid Shuts out Azlan

[1] Shahid Zaman bt [2] Azlan Iskandar
5-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 11-8 (47m)

Their world rankings are just one apart, so a close game was expected, and a close game was what the Lahore crowd was treated to, with Shahid twice coming from behind to wear down his gutsy rival.

Iskandar started off aggressively as his fine court crafts and effective forehand earned winners to stun shocked Shahid, taking the first game in just 12 minutes. Iskander remained in front from the outset.

Shahid, however, recovered in the second game forcing Iskandar on the defensive with some blistering forehands and closed the game in 17 minutes.

Not to be denied Iskander quickly recovered his poise as he repeatedly wrong-footed the local star with nicks and drop shots to clinch the game and led 2-1.

The Pakistani star put the loss of the third game behind and once again restored parity winning the crucial fourth game only dropping five points.

With all to play for in the fifth and final game it was Iskandar who caved in under pressure committing unforced errors to allow Shahid win the decider and with it lift the title.

Pakistan Circuit #2 2005 Lahore, Pakistan, 17-22 June, $25k
Round One June 19	Quarters June 20	Semis June 21	Final June 22
[1] Shahid Zaman (Pak) 9-11, 11-6, 11-10(3-1), 11-2 Arshad Iqbal Burki (Pak)	Shahid Zaman 11-0, 10-11, 11-10, 6-0 rtd Mohammed Essam A Hafiz	Shahid Zaman 11-5, 11-9, 10-11, 4-11, 11-6 (75m) Khayal Muhammad	Shahid Zaman 5-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 11-8 Azlan Iskandar
[6] Mohammed Essam A Hafiz (Egy) 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 Majid Khan
[3] Alex Gough (Wal) 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 [Q] Adil Maqbool	Alex Gough 9-11, 3-11, 11-10, 11-7, 11-7 (83m) Khayal Muhammad
[7] Liam Kenny (Irl) 5-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7 Khayal Muhammad (Pak)
Yasir Butt (Pak) 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 [4] Stephane Galifi (Fra)	Stephane Galifi 10-12, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (52m) Mansoor Zaman	Mansoor Zaman 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-3 (51m) Azlan Iskandar
[Q] Khalid Atlas Khan 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-5 [5] Mansoor Zaman (Pak)
[Q] Farrukh Zaman 10-11(3-5), 10-11(0-2), 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 Shamsul Islam Khan (Pak)	Farrukh Zaman 11-10, 11-4, 11-8 Azlan Iskandar
[Q] Aamir Atlas Khan 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 [2] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)

Qualifying:

Qualifying finals:
Farrukh Zaman bt Amjad Khan    6-11,10-11(0-2),11-5,11-6,11-3 (44m)
Khalid Atlas Khan bt Basit Ashfaq   8-11, 10-11 (1-3), 11-3, 11-7, 11-10 (5-3) (73m)
Khawaja Adil Maqbool bt Naveed Atlas Khan   4-11,7-11,11-9,11-8,11-6 (46m)
Aamir Atlas Khan bt Farzan Rasheed    11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (26m)

1st qualifying round:
Amjad Khan (PAK) bt Alamzeb Junior (PAK)    11-7, 11-6, 11-3
Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Shah Nawaz (PAK) 9-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-5
Basit Ashfaq (PAK) bt Safeer Ullah Khan (PAK) 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9
Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) bt Shoaib Hassan (PAK) 11-8, 11-10, 11-8
Naveed Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Waseem Shad (PAK) 11-6, 11-6, 11-9
Farzan Rasheed (PAK) bt Bilal Zaman (PAK) 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9
Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Mubashir Gul (PAK) 11-10 (2-0), 7-11, 11-6, 11-3

Pre-Qualifying Finals, 16 Jun:
Waseem Shad(NWFP) bt M.Naveed(Pb)     11/7, 11/6, 11/7 35m
Shoaib Hassan(PB) bt Shah Nawaz(Pb)     walkover
Alamzeb Jnr(NWFP) bt Aqib Hanif(Pb)       11/7, 11/4, 8/11, 9/11, 11/10 58m
Farzan Rasheed(Pb) bt Adil Atlas(NWFP)   11/7, 11/5, 5/11, 11/4 28m

Zaman & Iskandar To Contest Lahore Final

The top two seeds Shahid Zaman and Mohd Azlan Iskandar will contest the final of the PTCL Pakistan Circuit No2 Squash Championship after surviving testing five-game semi-finals against lower-ranked opposition at the Punjab Squash Complex in Lahore.

Event favourite Shahid Zaman, from Quetta in Pakistan, opened up a two-game lead over local hero Khayal Muhammad, the unseeded 21-year-old from Lahore who upset third seed Alex Gough to reach the last four.

But, despite enduring an 83-minute semi-final battle only 24 hours earlier, Muhammad dug deep to fight back and level the match. It was a re-focused Zaman, however, that came back for the decider and, after 75 minutes, the UK-based world No17 claimed his 11-5 11-9 10-11 4-11 11-6 victory - and a place in his ninth PSA Tour final.

The other semi-final was a seesaw affair as Pakistan's No4 seed Mansoor Zaman, a cousin of the favourite, twice levelled the match after Iskandar, the No2 seed, won the first and third games.

But the Malaysian maintained the upper hand in the fifth game to earn an 11-8 8-11 11-8 7-11 11-3 win in 51 minutes.

The final promises to be a close-fought affair, with 23-year-old Iskandar - who is also celebrating his ninth PSA final appearance - just one place below Zaman in the latest world rankings. It will be the pair's first meeting this year - following two in 2004 in which honours were shared.

Zaman Cousins
move into semis

Shahid Zaman had a close encounter today, when he won 3/2 against compatriot Khayal Muhammad, who upset Wales' third seed Alex Gough in the quarters.

Hopes of an ann-Zaman final were dashed when Mansoor Zaman lost another close encounter - the Pakistani number two was well up in the fifth against second seeded Malaysian Azlan Iskandar, but couldn't finish it off as Iskandar booked his place in the final.