Kolkata Open, Azlan crashes out , OBH 1st runner-up
KUALA LUMPUR: Top seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of unseeded Shahid Zaman of Pakistan to crash out in the first round of the Kolkata International Open yesterday. The Malaysian, who is ranked 16th in the world, went down 3-11, 9-11, 11-3, 6-11 to Shahid in just 38 minutes. The defeat is a huge blow to Azlan, who is likely to be given the top billing in the Asian Championships in Kuwait from Feb 13-21. Shahid will face compatriot and fifth seed Mansoor Zaman in the quarter-finals. Mansoor beat qualifier Jethro Binns of Wales 12-10, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8 in the first round. National number two and second seed Ong Beng Hee, who failed to win a single Professional Squash Players (PSA) title last year, strolled into the last eight with a 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 win over Amr Mansi of Egypt. Beng Hee, who will be gunning his fifth Asian title next week, faces eighth seed Farhan Mehboob of Pakistan in the quarter-finals. The Penangite champion is currently ranked two rungs below Azlan in the world rankings.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s quest to defend their Asian Championships title next week suffered a severe jolt when Ong Beng Hee fell to fifth seed Mansoor Zaman of Pakistan in the Kolkata International Open final yesterday. Beng Hee, the world No. 18 and second seed, fell to the 35th-ranked Mansoor 8-11, 7-11, 11-4, 8-11 in 54 minutes. Malaysian No. 1 Mohd Azlan Iskandar, who will also be competing in the Asian meet in Kuwait next Wednesday, had earlier crashed out in the first round in Kolkata on Tuesday. The defeat could not have come at a worse time as Beng Hee will be defending the title he won two years ago in Taiwan, defeating team-mate Azlan in the final. In the Kolkata Open semi-final on Thursday, Beng Hee slogged for 70 minutes before prevailing over sixth seed Omar Abdel Aziz of Egypt 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4. Beng Hee had defeated Pakistan’s Farhan Mehboob 12-10, 11-8, 11-6 in the quarter-finals a day earlier. The defeat by Mansoor prevented Beng Hee from giving himself a birthday present. The Malaysian, who turned 28 on Monday and who failed to win a single tournament last year, had hoped that the Year of the Rat would bring good luck. Instead, it brought him heartache. Beng Hee said through a telephone interview yesterday that he was disappointed with his game. “I was hoping to end my title drought by winning the first tournament of the year. But I failed to live up to my game and my top billing. “The defeat has put more pressure on me to defend the Asian title as I lost to Mansoor, a player who won’t even be featuring in the Asian meet,” said Beng Hee. RESULTS Final: Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8. Semi-finals: Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt Omar Masood (Egy) 11-5, 4-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9; Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4. Quarter-finals: Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt Shahid Zaman (Pak) 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6; Omar Masood (Egy) bt Saurav Ghosal (Ind) 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-1; Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) 6-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-1, 11-7; Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt Farhan Mehboob (Pak) 12-10, 11-8, 11-6.