ISLAMABAD – Pakistan squash hope Nasir Iqbal caused the biggest upset of the tournament as he beat No 2 seed M Asyraf from Malaysia 3-0 to book a birth in the Burgan Bank Challenge Squash Championship 2013 final in Kuwait.
Nasir, who started the championship as unseeded player, continued his giant killing run to enter the final against No 1 seed Abdullah Al Muzayea of host nation Kuwait. The championship carries total prize money of $10,000. Nasir won the first game 11-7 and then in the second game, both played some classic squash before Nasir finally managing to take it 11-8. Nair used his powerful strokes to the best of his abilities and completely outclassed Asyraf in the third game winning it 11-4 to book a birth in the final.
Talking exclusively to The Nation on Friday from Kuwait, Nasir said: “I started the match on a whirlwind fashion and never allowed Asyraf any chance to settle down in the match and won it with comfort and ease.”
“Our head coach Jamshed Gul has worked very hard on me to overcome minor flaws in my technique and game. I am feeling very confident since I have started working under Jamshed. This is because of his extra attention and hard work which is paying dividend and I am sure if I continue to play like this in the final, I will win the championship,” Nasir concluded.