Pakistani duo Sammer Anjum and Rushna Mehboob sealed their spots in the main draw

LOCAL FAVOURITE TOORPAKAI LOOKS TO DEFEND BAHRIA TOWN INTERNATIONAL TITLE IN RAWALPINDI

By.Asghar Ali Mubarak

The Pakistani duo Sammer Anjum and Rushna Mehboob sealed their spots in the main draw of the 3rd Bahria Town International Women’s Squash Championship, PSA W15 tournament after claiming straight games victories over Madina Zafar and Zoya Khalid, respectively, on home soil.

Anjum, who received a bye in the first qualifying round, dominated her fixture with Zafar and sent her opponent into all four corners of the court with regularity as she romped to an 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 victory in just 21 mins.

Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi lies in wait for Anjum in the opening round of the main draw where Anjum will aim to reach the quarter-final of a PSA World Tour event for only the third time in her career.

Mehboob, meanwhile, eased past Khalid in a stunning 15-minute salvo and moves on to face Nouran El Torky in the next round.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Aika Azman earned her place in the main draw with a 3-1 victory over Farah Momen. Azman has reached the quarter-final stage at least at her last five PSA World Tour tournaments but will need to at her best to defeat third seed Maria Toorpakai Wazir next if she is to keep that run going.

Catur Yuliana was the final qualifying round’s other victor after she prevailed in a tense five-game battle with Muqaddas Ashraf and she will meet Tong Tsz-Wing in round one of the main draw.

Results – Final Qualifying Round: 3rd Bahria Town International Women’s Squash Championship 2016
[1] Aika Azman (MAS) bt Farah Momen (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 11-9, 5-11, 11-2 (27m)
[8] Catur Yuliana (INA) bt [3] Muqaddas Ashraf (PAK) 3-2: 7-11, 11-7, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5 (37m)
[L] Rushna Mehboob (PAK) bt [L] Zoya Khalid (PAK) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (15m)
[2] Sammer Anjum (PAK) bt Madina Zafar (PAK) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (21m)

Main Draw – First Round
[2] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Carmen Lee (HKG)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [6] Amina Yousry (EGY)
[8] Lee Ka Yi (HKG) v [Q] Sammer Anjum (PAK)
[Q] Aika Azman (MAS) v [3] Maria Toorpakai Wazir (PAK)
[4] Vanessa Chu (HKG) v [WC] Sadia Gul (PAK)
[Q] Catur Yuliana (INA) v [5] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG)
[7] Nouran El Torky (EGY) v [Q] Rushna Mehboob (PAK)
Nada Abbas (EGY) [1] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
The championship carries lucrative prize money of $15000 with a $5000 increase from the last year’s edition has been witnessed. It’s truly an admirable step by the private sector to promote female squash because Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) have had been giving high priority to Professional Squash Association (PSA) events, thus investing heavily on male players.
For the first time, top international players would be seen in action at Pakistani soil. Last year’s defending champion Maria Toor Pakai faces stern challenge as she will jostle against some of the best players in the business. 33rd World Ranked South African player Siyoli Waters sustained an injury and will the tournament. Now Liu Tsz Ling of Hong Kong, who is world number 40 is the top seed of the event while Maria is seeded number 3 for this event.
No major upsets were witnessed on the inaugural day of the championship. In the first match of the day top seed qualifier, Malaysian Aika Azman got a bye. Egyptian Farah Momen beat Zahab Khan 11-4, 11-2 and 11-2 in 18 minutes, Catur Yuliana beat Faiza Zafar 11-5, 11-4 and 11-4 in just 16 minutes, Muqaddas Ashraf got bye, Rushna Mehboob beat Saima Shoukat (PAK) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 in 20 minutes, Zoya Khalid beat Neha Kamal Khan 11-6, 11-1 and 11-7 in 16 minutes, Madina Zafar beat Anam Mustafa Aziz 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 in 19 minutes while second seed in qualifying round Sammer Anjum also got bye.
Aika Azman faces Farah Momen, Catur Yuliana takes on Muqaddas Ashraf, Rushna Mehboob to overcome Zoya Khalid while Madina Zafar faces stiff challenge in the form of Sammer Anjum. Meanwhile the Pakistani squash trailblazer Maria Toorpakai Wazir will be hoping to fend off fierce competition to retain her title at the 3rd Bahria Town International Women’s Squash Championship, PSA W15 title in Rawalpindi  when the tournament begins on Thursday February 25.

Benefitting from the expert stewardship of former World No.1 Jonathon Power in her corner, Toorpakai claimed the Bahria Town International title in April 2015 and in doing so made history as the first female Pakistani player to win a PSA W10 crown.

Seeded third for this event, the Pakistani No.1 will play Aika Azman in round one and will expect to progress smoothly into the latter stages of the event.

Toorpakai will face tough competition from several top 100 players in the main draw, including top seed Liu Tsz-Ling. Hailing from Hong Kong, Tsz-Ling enjoyed a remarkably successful 2015, emerging victorious from four PSA World Tour events including the JSW Indian Squash Circuit Chennai title in October.

As an established top 50 player, Tsz-Ling will have her eyes firmly fixed on the tournament’s ultimate prize but she will need to beat Egypt’s Nada Abbas in the opening round.

Nadine Shahin leads the Egyptian challenge in Islamabad and the 19-year-old rising star is the number two seed for the event. The World No.45 will be hoping to continue her blistering form after clinching consecutive PSA World Tour titles in the Malaysian Tour Squash IX and X in November 2015. Shahin faces Hong Kong’s Carmen Lee in the first round and will be looking to begin her path to the final.

Vanessa Chu will also pose a threat to the tournament favourites in Islamabad after showcasing some impressive form in the latter part of 2015, overcoming Australia’s Sarah Cardwell to secure her thirdPSA World Tour title at the Mackay Open in November 2015. The World No.51 will lock horns with 18-year-old Pakistani wildcard Sadia Gul in round one and will look to avoid an unexpected upset.

Other notable entrants include World No.61 Tong Tsz-Wing and Egypt’s Nouran El Torky.

A wealth of Pakistani talent will compete in the qualifying rounds with many up-and-coming players hoping to emulate the unprecedented success of Toorpakai, who is the country’s greatest ever female squash player.

Main Draw: PSA W15, 3rd Bahria Town International Women’s Squash Championship, Islamabad, Pakistan
[2] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v Carmen Lee (HKG)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [6] Amina Yousry (EGY)
[8] Lee Ka Yi (HKG) v [Q] Sammer Anjum (PAK)
[Q] Aika Azman (MAS) v [3] Maria Toorpakai Wazir (PAK)
[4] Vanessa Chu (HKG) v [WC] Sadia Gul (PAK)
[Q] Catur Yuliana (INA) v [5] Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG)
[7] Nouran El Torky (EGY) v [Q] Rushna Mehboob (PAK)
Nada Abbas (EGY) [1] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)