Khan Survives All-Pakistani Qatar Climax
by Howard Harding
15 January 2012 - A marathon all-Pakistani final of the Al Khaliji PSA Squash Challenger brought the PSA World Tour Challenger 5 event in Qatar to a climax when Danish Atlas Khan beat fellow teenager Farhan Zaman after a dramatic 34-point decider at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.
A pair of contrasting victories over Egyptians in the previous two rounds took top seed Khan through to the fifth PSA Tour final of his career.
Second seed Zaman, also from the same city of Peshawar as his final opponent, brushed aside fellow countryman Khawaja Adil Maqbool in just 16 minutes in the other semi-final to reach the fourth final of his career.
And after underdog Zaman brought matters level after losing the first two games in the first Tour meeting of their careers, it was neck and neck throughout the fifth game until world No83 Khan finally overcame lower-ranked Zaman to clinch the title 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 18-16 after 65 minutes.
The win marks the fourth PSA World Tour title of Atlas Khan's career.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Al Khaliji PSA Squash Challenger, Doha, Qatar
1st round:
[1] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Aamir Khan (UAE) 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) bt [Q] Mohammed Yaquop Hajeyah (KUW) 11-3, 12-10, 11-9 (23m)
[Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt Zeyad Tareq Alowaesh (KUW) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 (19m)
[Q] James Simpson (ENG) bt [3] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) 11-5, 8-11, 11-4 ret. (22m)
Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) bt [4] Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6 (32m)
Basem Makram (EGY) bt Omar Abdullah Ahmed (QAT) 11-3, 11-2, 11-1 (19m)
Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) bt Ahmad Al-Saraj (JOR) 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 (56m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 8-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 (29m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) 9-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10 (82m)
[Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt [Q] James Simpson (ENG) 9-11, 11-1, 11-6, 11-5 (31m)
Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) bt Basem Makram (EGY) 9-11, 3-11, 11-4, 11-1, 11-6 (43m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Ammar Al-Tamimi (KUW) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (25m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (39m)
[2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bt Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 13-11, 11-4, 11-3 (16m)
Final:
[1] Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [2] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 18-16 (65m)
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