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Swelim Captures Kish Island Crown In Iran
Amr Swelim
of
Egypt emerged triumphant from the final
of the FAJR International after beating Pakistan's Yasir
Butt in the climax of the $12,000
PSA Tour
squash event in its third year in
Kish Island
in Iran.
The 23-year-old from
Cairo dropped the first game - but fought back to take the next three,
surviving a tie-break in the fourth to win 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-10
(2-0) in 43 minutes.
"I'm very happy to win this title," said Swelim after clinching his
third
PSA Tour title in a third continent. "The first game was too close.
I changed my game in the second and it worked. Yasir is a talented
player."
The new champion thanked the organisers - and added: "I would like to
come again here."
Butt Battles To
Kish
Upset
Yasir Butt
put paid to the all-Egyptian FAJR International final predicted
by the seedings when he upset favourite Omar Abdel Aziz in the
semi-finals of the $12,000
PSA Tour
squash event in its third year in Kish Island in
Iran.
The third-seeded Pakistani recovered from a game down to topple Aziz,
from Cairo, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 in 34 minutes to reach the first
PSA Tour final of his career.
Butt, runner-up to Ramy Ashour in the 2004 World Junior
Championship, will face another Egyptian in the final after second
seed Amr Swelim beat South African Stephen Coppinger,
the No4 seed, 6-11, 11-6, 11-10 (3-1), 11-8.
Swelim, 23, from
Cairo, is celebrating his sixth Tour final appearance.
Champion Wheadon Crashes Out In
Iran
South African Gary Wheadon, the defending champion, crashed out
of the 2008 FAJR International in
Iran when he was beaten in straight games
in the quarter-finals of the $12,000
PSA Tour
squash event in its third year in
Kish Island.
The eighth seed from Cape Town, who celebrated his Tour title
breakthrough in Iran twelve months ago, took Omar Abdel Aziz to
tie-breaks in two of the games - but the top seed from Egypt
ultimately prevailed 11-6, 11-10 (3-1), 11-4 in 31 minutes to reach
his second successive
PSA Tour event semi-final.
Aziz will face Yasir Butt, the third seed from Pakistan who
beat New Zealand's Martin Knight 11-5, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0).
The other semi-final will also feature Egyptian interest after second
seed Amr Swelim ended unseeded Englishman James Snell's
impressive run in straight games. The 23-year-old from
Cairo will face South African Stephen Coppinger, the fourth
seed.
The FAJR International, the first
PSA Tour event to be held in Iran, is helping to put squash on the map
in the country. "We will organise more squash PSA tournaments in the
future and we would like to promote squash more in Iran, especially in
Kish," said Mr Gholami, President of the Kish Squash
Association. "These events promote our squash players at
international level and help them improve their game."
Snell Upsets FAJR International Field In
Iran
Englishman James Snell produced the sole upset on the opening
day of action in FAJR International to claim a surprise
quarter-final berth in the $12,000 PSA Tour squash event in its
third year at
Kish Island
in
Iran.
The unseeded 20-year-old from
Exeter in Devon took just 19 minutes to despatch fifth-seeded
Fabian Kalaitzis, from Greece, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5.
Snell now faces Amr Swelim, the second seed from Egypt who
ended Iranian wildcard entry Mohammad Reza Sadeghpour's chances
in an 11-3, 6-11, 11-3, 11-4 defeat.
Seyed Mohammad Hossein Sanaee,
the only Iranian to qualify for the event, also went down to an
Egyptian - top seed Omar Abdel Aziz winning 11-5, 11-2, 11-5.
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