Karim Abdel Gawad to feature in Pakistan Open

KARACHI: World champion Karim Abdel Gawad from Egypt is coming to Karachi to play the $50,000 Pakistan Open scheduled here from November 28 to December 2.

According to the entry list, world number 10 Karim, who won World Open Squash Championship in 2016, is top seed in this event that is to be held at DA Creek Club.Karim played an exhibition match at DA Creek Club in December 2015 on the invitation of Secretary Sindh Squash Association Amir Khan.

Meanwhile, 20 foreign top players are participating in this tournament. World number 13 Diego Elias from Peru is second seed. World No 24 Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi from Qatar is third seed, World No 25 Cesar Salazar fourth, World No 40 Nafiizwan Adnan from Malaysia fifth, World No 46 Arturo Salazar from Mexico sixth, World No 47 Omar Abdel Meguid from Egypt seventh, and World No 48 Todd Harrity from the US eighth.

The other players are Karim El Hammamy from Egypt (ranked 50th), Mohamed Reda from Egypt (52nd), Joshua Masters from England (55th), Edmon Lopez from Spain (58th), Iker Pajares Bernabeu from Spain (61st), Mostafa Asal [U19] from Egypt (62nd), Mazen Gamal from Egypt (63rd), and Ivan Yuen from Malaysia (65th).

The unseeded players are Tayyab Aslam from Pakistan (ranked 67), Auguste Dussourd from France (ranked 70), Baptiste Masotti from France (ranked 76), Shehab Essam from Egypt (ranked 78), Asim Khan from Pakistan (ranked 81), and Mohammad Syafiq Kamal from Malaysia (ranked 84).The organisers have given wild cards to promising Ahsan Ayaz (ranked 96) and Noman Khan (ranked 370.