CCI International 2014

01-06 Jul, Mumbai, India, $25k 06-Jun, Final:

Qualifier Farag takes CCI title



Ali Farag of Egypt shocked third seed Nasir Iqbal of Pakistan in a 3-2 thriller to help himself to the title, in the 2nd

CCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI.



Twenty-two-year-old Farag, ranked 190 in the world, snatched a 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-1, 11-9 win over the Asian senior champion from Peshawar, in an absorbing championship round that lasted 55 minutes.



Farag, who beat top seed Saurav Ghosal of India in the opening round, eighth seed Kristian Frost Olesen of Denmark in the quarter-finals and compatriot and sixth seed Zahed Mohamed in the semi-finals, completed his giant-killing run with the victory over Iqbal to end a rewarding campaign.







Farag, the 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion, recovered brilliantly from 1-2 down after winning the opening set and overcame a late burst from the Pakistan No. 1 to win the riveting decider by a whisker after leading 6-3.



“It was a very tough match,” said Farag. “He came back by playing better and smarter especially in the fifth game and all I had to do was keep going.”



“It was a close match and anybody could have won,” explained Iqbal. “As much I wanted to win the title, this tournament was very good for me.”

Qualifierof Egypt shocked third seed Nasir Iqbal of Pakistan in a 3-2 thriller to help himself to the title, in the 2ndCCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI.Twenty-two-year-old Farag, ranked 190 in the world, snatched a 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 11-1, 11-9 win over the Asian senior champion from Peshawar, in an absorbing championship round that lasted 55 minutes.Farag, who beat top seed Saurav Ghosal of India in the opening round, eighth seed Kristian Frost Olesen of Denmark in the quarter-finals and compatriot and sixth seed Zahed Mohamed in the semi-finals, completed his giant-killing run with the victory over Iqbal to end a rewarding campaign. The finalists, who faced each other four years ago in the World Junior Team final, treated the packed gallery to entertaining squash with impressive strokes as they stretched the contest right down to the wire.Farag, the 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion, recovered brilliantly from 1-2 down after winning the opening set and overcame a late burst from the Pakistan No. 1 to win the riveting decider by a whisker after leading 6-3.“It was a very tough match,” said Farag. “He came back by playing better and smarter especially in the fifth game and all I had to do was keep going.”“It was a close match and anybody could have won,” explained Iqbal. “As much I wanted to win the title, this tournament was very good for me.” CCI International 2014

01-06 Jul, Mumbai, India, $25k Round One

03 Jul Quarters

04 Jul Semis

05 Jul Final

06 Jul [1] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)

10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4

[Q] Ali Farag (Egy) [Q] Ali Farag

3-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5

[8] Kristian Frost [Q] Ali Farag 11-7, 15-13, 10-12, 11-6. [6] Zahed Mohamed [Q] Ali Farag 11-7, 7-11,

5-11, 11-1, 11-9. [3] Nasir Iqbal [8] Kristian Frost (Den)

11-4, 11-5, 11-5

Jens Schoor (Ger) [6] Zahed Mohamed (Egy)

11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10

Ammar Altamimi (Kuw) [6] Zahed Mohamed

11-6, 11-7, 2-11, 11-9

[wc] Harinderpal Sandhu [4] Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)

8-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9

[wc] Harinderpal Sandhu (Ind) [Q] Shehab Essam Hosny (Egy)

11-1, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9

[3] Nasir Iqbal (Pak) [3] Nasir Iqbal

11-5, 11-8, 11-7

[5] Jaymie Haycocks [3] Nasir Iqbal 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 Mahesh Mangaonkar [Q] Kush Kumar (Ind)

12-14, 13-11, 3-11, 11-4, 13-11

[5] Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) Mahesh Mangaonkar (Ind)

11-9, 11-2, 10-12, 11-4

[7] Chris Gordon (Usa) Mahesh Mangaonkar

11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10

[2] Ong Beng Hee [Q] Ramit Tandon (Ind)

11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-4

[2] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 02-Jun, Qualifying Dinals:



Shehab Essam Hosny (Egy) 3-0 Sandeep Jangra (Ins) 11-9, 11-6, 11-8

Kush Kumar (Ind) 3-0 Ravi Dixit (Ind) 11-4, 11-1, 11-5

Ramit Tandon (Ind) 3-1 Vrishab Kotian (Ind) 8-11, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3

Ali Farag (Egy) 3-0 Karim El Hammamy (Egy) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5



01-Jun, Qualifying Round One



Ravi Dixit (Ind) 3-0 Vikas Jangra (Ind) 11-6, 11-7, 11-3

Kush Kumar (Ind) 3-0 Karm Kumar (Ind) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5

Sandeep Jangra (Ind) 3-0 Arjun Agnihotri (Ind) 11-6, 11-2, 11-5

Shehab Essam Hosny (Egy) bye

Ramit Tandon (Ind) 3-0 Abhimanyu Shah (Ind) 11-4, 11-3, 11-3

Vrishab Kotian (Ind) 3-1 Abhinav Sinha (Ind) 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9

Ali Farag (Egy) 3-0 Rishad Pandole (Ind) 11-7, 11-5, 11-8

Karim El Hammamy (Egy) 3-1 Gaurav Nandrajog (Ind) 16-14, 6-11,11-6, 14-12 2012 Event 05-Jun, Semis:

Mangaonkar goes down fighting in semis, Egypt’s Farag enters final



Qualifier Ali Farag of Egypt and Asian Senior champion Nasir Iqbal of Pakistan fashioned exciting semi-final wins to set up a championship round clash, in the 2nd CCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI on Saturday.



Third seed Iqbal of Peshawar endured a determined challenge from India No. 2 and world No. 75 Mahesh Mangaonkar before registering a 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 win in an absorbing contest that lasted 63 eventful minutes.



Farag, who beat top seed Saurav Ghosal of India in the opening round and eighth seed Kristian Frost Olesen of Denmark in the quarter-finals, turned giant-killer when he upset compatriot and sixth seed Zahed Mohamed 11-7, 15-13, 10-12, 11-6 in another riveting 56-minute battle



Though Mangaonkar lost the first two sets, he sounded an early warning after surrendering narrowly to the 20-year-old Pakistan No. 1. The Indian ignored his opponent’s reputation and staged a brilliant

recovery in a neck-and-neck third set in which Iqbal enjoyed two match points at 10-9 and 11-10.



After forcing the match into the crucial fourth set, Mangaonkar frittered away envious 7-3 and 8-4 leads as Iqbal crept his way back into the game to lead 9-8 with five points in a row and snatched the

match with a boast, in a gripping finish.



“It was a very tough match,” admitted Iqbal. “Mahesh is in form, especially after beating (second seed) Ong Beng Hee in the quarter-finals. “I controlled the first two sets though I was loose in the third which gave him a chance to recover. I think in the end he tired out and that gave me a chance to come back and win it.”



In the earlier semi-final, Farag, ranked 190 in the world, went up 2-0 but not before an early challenge from a determined Mohamed, ranked 55 in the world. Alexandria-based Mohamed lost a thrilling second set that stretched well into extra points and kept his hopes alive when he snatched an equally gripping third that also extended into extra points, after Farag reached match-point at 10-9.



But Farag, the 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion, surged to a substantial lead in the crucial fourth and held on to take the set and match away.



Earlier, in the quarter-finals, Mangaonkar shocked second seed Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10 in a quarter-final that lasted 61 minutes.



After racing to an envious 2-0 lead Mangaonkar faced a stiff challenge in the latter half of the match when world No. 30 Beng Hee extended the contest to the crucial and eventful fourth set. The Malaysian threatened to stretch the match into the decider while leading 10-5 but surprisingly lost his way as Mangaonkar crawled back to snatch the set and match with a stroke over extra points, in a dramatic finish.



04-Jun, Quarters:

Mangaonkar shocks Beng Hee

Egypt’s Zahed stops Harinderpal



Mahesh Mangaonkar of India shocked second seed Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia 3-1 to storm into the semi-finals, in the 2nd CCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI on Friday.



India No. 2 and world No. 75 Mangaonkar fashioned an exciting 11-6, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10 win over the former world No. 7 in a quarter-final contest that lasted 61 minutes.



Mangaonkar set up a semi-final clash with Nasir Iqbal of Pakistan who overcame fifth seed Jaymie Haycocks of England 11-5, 11-8, 11-7.



After racing to an envious 2-0 lead Mangaonkar faced a stiff challenge in the latter half of the match when world No. 30 Beng Hee extended the contest to the crucial and eventful fourth set. The Malaysian threatened to stretch the match into the decider while leading 10-5 but surprisingly lost his way as Mangaonkar crawled back to snatch the set and match with a stroke over extra points in a dramatic finish.



Sixth seed Zahed Mohamed of Egypt fashioned a confident 3-1 win over Harinderpal Sandhu of India to set up a semi-final clash with countryman Ali Farag who rallied from 0-2 to upset eighth seed Kristian Frost Olesen of Denmark 3-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 in another absorbing quarter-final.



Mohamed, ranked 55 in the world, cruised to a 11-6, 11-7, 2-11, 11-9 win in a quarter-final encounter that lasted 54 minutes and had its fair share of exciting moments.



The Alexandria-based Mohamed raced to a 2-0 lead in short time but Harinderpal, ranked 80 in the world, kept his hopes alive by snatching the third set comfortably with impressive shots that also allowed the Egyptian to regain his breath.



Harinderpal, who shocked fourth seed and world No. 47 Ali Anwar Reda of Egypt in the opening round, gave Mohamed a scare when he romped to a 7-3 advantage in the crucial fourth and raised hopes of a humdinger. The Indian once again came up with a slew of brilliant strokes but Mohamed matched the effort with a good measure of delectable nicks that allowed him to take the lead at 8-7.



It was a neck-and-neck battle in the final stages of the set before Mohamed, playing the Indian for the first time, unleashed another nick to take the match away.



“I knew he’s a good player,” said Mohamed of Sporting Club, Alexandria. “He played really well in the third game and got me worried again in the fourth when he took that big lead. But I engaged him in long rallies and waited for him to make the mistakes.”

03-Jun, Round One:

Farag stuns Ghosal as Harinderpal and Mangaonkar fashion upsets



Qualifier Ali Farag of Egypt shocked top seed Saurav Ghosal of India in a 3-2 first round thriller to give the main draw an explosive start, in the 2nd CCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI on Thursday.



Farag, the 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion, systematically overwhelmed the world No. 16 ranked Indian 10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4 in an eagerly looked-forward to contest that lasted a good 77 minutes.



The Richter-scale win was the Egyptian’s first ever over Ghosal as they faced each other for the first time. Farag, ranked 190 in the world, ignored the 1-2 deficit after dropping the first and third sets. He launched a late recovery in brilliant fashion with some memorable shots as he forced the decider in which Ghosal committed a slew of errors, hitting the tin once too often. Those blemishes by Ghosal gave Farag an envious and unbelievable 10-3 lead at match-ball before a verdict that disappointed the favourite and the packed gallery.



“Saurav’s got a reputation and I knew what to expect. Yes, I was worried when I was down 1-2. But I played with no pressure at all, and that made the difference,” said a delighted Farag.



In another first round, qualifier Kush Kumar of India also went down fighting to fifth seed Jamie Haycocks of England 12-14, 13-11, 3-11, 11-4, 13-11 in a 73-minute thriller. Kumar, who recently won the under-19 silver in the 21st Asian Junior Individual Championship in Kish Island, Iran, frittered away a 2-1 advantage before losing an edge-of-the-seat decider.



Harinderpal Sandhu and Mahesh Mangaonkar later made amends for the disappointment of the Indians. Mangaonkar upset seventh seed Christopher Gordon of US 11-9, 11-2, 10-12, 11-4 in 63 minutes to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final with world No. 30 and second seed Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia.



Sandhu rallied from 0-2 to shock fourth seed Ali Anwar Reda of Egypt 8-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 in an 87-minute nail-biter, in the most riveting match of the day.

02-Jun, Qualifying Finals:

Kush stuns Dixit to enter main draw

Egypt’s Farag, Hosny through



Kush Kumar shocked Ravi Dixit to storm into the main draw, in the 2nd CCI PSA International Squash Championship, at the CCI on Wednesday.



Kush, seeded sixth in the qualifiers, overcame his higher ranked second seeded opponent 11-4, 11-1, 11-5 in the final qualifying round for one of the earliest surprises in the competition.



Kush, who recently won the under-19 silver after going down to Tayyab Aslam of Pakistan in the 21st Asian Junior Individual Championship in Kish Island, Iran, dominated the match from the start to warm up for an opening round clash in the main draw with Jaymie Haycocks of England.



In contrast, Shehab Essam Hosny of Egypt halted Sandeep Jangra of India 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 in a contest that lasted 25 minutes. The Indian lost in straight sets but not before running Hosny close in the opening and third sets.



Another Egyptian, Ali Farag overcame his compatriot and world junior champion Karim El Hammamy 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 in a 39-minute battle.



Farag, the 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion, set up a mouth-watering first round with India No. 1 and world No. 16 Saurav Ghosal.



Ramit Tandon of India joined Kush and Hosny in the main draw that kicks off on Thursday, following an 8-11, 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 win over compatriot Vrishab Kotian in a contest that lasted 39 minutes with the opening set lasting the longest at 15 minutes.



Tandon will face world No. 30 Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia, Harinderpal Singh Sandhu will take on world No. 47 Mohd. Ali Anwar Reda of Egypt and Mahesh Mangaonkar will play Christopher Gordon of US in the first round. 01-Jun, Qualifying Round One:

Nandrajog goes down to

El Hammamy in thriller



Gaurav Nandrajog of India went down fighting to world junior champion Karim El Hammamy of Egypt in the first qualifying round - El Hammamy endured a surprise challenge from the former India No. 2 before snatching a hard-fought 16-14, 6-11, 11-6, 14-12 win in a 60-minute thriller that saw the opening set and the crucial fourth stretch well into extra points.



The Egyptian received an early warning following a tight opener and Nandrajog did not disappoint the packed gallery. The Indian went on to snatch the second set and entertained the knowledgeable audience right through to the eventful fourth.



El Hammamy experienced an error prone fourth set with rare blemishes when he hit the tin and sent the ball above the sideline on quite a few occasions to allow Nandrajog recover from 2-6 to 7-all. Nandrajog engaged El Hammamy in long rallies and forced the latter into errors as the Indian went on to even lead 8-7 and 9-8 to delay his opponent’s success.



In contrast, El Hammamy’s compatriot, 2010 junior world and former junior British Open champion Ali Farag beat Rishad Pandole 11-7, 11-5, 11-8.



Ravi Dixit and Kush Kumar of India kicked off their campaigns with impressive wins in the first qualifying round.



With Shehab Essam Hosny of Egypt receiving a first round bye, it was left to the Indians to get the action started as Kush Kumar beat Karm Kumar 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, Ravi Dixit overcame Vikas Jangra 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 and Sandeep Jangra prevailed over Arjun Agnihotri 11-6, 11-2, 11-5 to set up a final qualifying round clash with Hosny on Wednesday.



In other first round matches involving all Indians, Ramit Tandon got the better of Abhimanyu Shah 11-4, 11-3, 11-3.



CCI 2014 boasts increased prize fund



The Cricket Club of India (CCI) has increased the prize money from $15k to $25k for the CCI-PSA International Squash Championship to be played at the club’s squash courts from July 1 to 6.



"I was able to convince the CCI executive committee to increase the prize money this year itself in order to attract some of the top 30 players in the world,’’ said Naval Pandole, Secretary, Squash Committee and Vice-Chairman, CCI. The club has excellent air-conditioned glass courts.



India’s world no 16 player Saurav Ghosal, the promising Mahesh Mangaonkar, Harinder Pal Sandhu (wild card), Ravi Dixit, Ramit Tandon, Kush Kumar and many other Indians will feature in the competition. The top overseas players include Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee, Egypt’s Ali Anwar Reda and Kuwait’s Abdullah AlMezayen.



"There is a lack of international squash tournaments in India and the idea is to have more events and provide exposure to our young generation players. India has got a lot of talent and we are trying to make a pathway for the youth,’’ said Pandole.



The Cricket Club of India (CCI) has increased the prize money from $15k to $25k for the CCI-PSA International Squash Championship to be played at the club’s squash courts from July 1 to 6."I was able to convince the CCI executive committee to increase the prize money this year itself in order to attract some of the top 30 players in the world,’’ said, Secretary, Squash Committee and Vice-Chairman, CCI. The club has excellent air-conditioned glass courts.India’s world no 16 player, the promising(wild card),and many other Indians will feature in the competition. The top overseas players include Malaysia’s, Egypt’sand Kuwait’s"There is a lack of international squash tournaments in India and the idea is to have more events and provide exposure to our young generation players. India has got a lot of talent and we are trying to make a pathway for the youth,’’ said Pandole. Post by Rolling Nicks Squash Academy This Month : [ Prev ] [ Next ]