INTERNATIONAL SQUASH: Farhan flattens Fathi to reach final

ISLAMABAD: Living up to his true potential, Farhan Mehboob toppled top seed Karim Ali Fathi of Egypt to reach the final of the $20,000 Serena Hotels-Huawei International Squash Tournament at the Mushaf Ali Mir Complex here on Tuesday.

Farhan turned the tables on Fathi, beating him 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 in an exciting semi-final that lasted almost 40 minutes.

Farhan will meet another Egyptian, Mohamed El-Sherbini, who got the better of Carlos Cornes Ribadas of Spain 11-9, 13-11, 11-3 in the second semi-final played.

Fathi, who had already accounted for the best Pakistanis in back-to-back international tournaments in the last 10 days, all of a sudden found the going tough against the talented Farhan.

Playing at the twilight of his career, Farhan showed exceptional temperament against the world No 46, making the best use of his abilities in the match.

After losing a close first game in which Farhan had opportunities to go one up, he rallied in the second and made the Egyptian run for every ball. Farhan’s timely winners backed by his positive approach earned him the second game.

Farhan continued in the same vein in the third game, forcing Fathi to play according to the Pakistani’s plan rather following his own strategy.

The Pakistani style of play worked wonders for Farhan as he raced to a decisive lead in the third game courtesy of back-to-back tins hit by the Egyptian.

After conceding the third game, Fathi started showing signs of fatigue and nervousness in the fourth game and provided an opportunity to Farhan to leads of 4-0 and 7-2.

A huge lead made all the difference as Farhan wrapped up the match by striking a couple of winners and getting a few bonus points from the unforced errors committed by the Egyptian.

“I knew I had a chance even though Fathi is well clear of me in the PSA rankings. I followed my own game and played the way I wanted. He found the going tough against my style of play,” Farhan.

The Pakistani was well backed by a good number of local fans present at the Mushaf Squash Complex, said.

In the second semi-final, though both ElSherbini and Ribadas played a neck and neck match, the Egyptian proved to be the better opponent because of his consistent approach. “If I play on the same pattern in the final as I did against Fathi, I hope to get the same result. I know ElSherbini will try to play a fast and long game but I have my own plans for the final,” Farhan Mehboob said. The final will be held today (Wednesday) at 3pm.