Next month’s U23 World Squash Championship can help revive Pakistan squash

The inaugural edition of the U23 World Squash Championships to be held in Karachi early next month could well be a turning point for the sport in Pakistan.

The US$60,000 tournament to be played at the DHA Creek Club from April 6-10 will be the first world-level squash tournament to take place on Pakistani soil in almost 22 years.

The event will also provide Pakistan, once the undisputed kings of world squash, a chance to win a world level squash event for the first time since 1996 when the legendary Jansher Khan won the last of his record eight World Open titles at the same venue in Karachi.

Just four years after gaining its independence, Pakistan made its presence felt in the world of sports when Hashim Khan came out of nowhere the 1951 British Open Squash Championship. For the best part of the next five decades, Pakistan squash legends dominated the international squash scene.

But following Jansher Khan’s premature exit from the professional circuit because of a career-ending knee injury in the late nineties Pakistan’s squash fortunes have dipped to rock bottom.

Once the country used to have almost six of its players in the top-10 world rankings. Today, there is not a single Pakistani player in the top-50 rankings. Asim Khan, at 59, is the country’s top-ranked player.

The U23 World Championship provides Pakistan a chance to begin a revival. Noor Zaman, at 82 in the world, is seeded second in the men’s event just behind Egyptian top seed Ibrahim Elkabbani (world No. 61).

A grandson of Pakistan legend Qamar Zaman, the talented Noor can make full use of the home advantage to win the world title.

Another Pakistani title hope is the former world junior champion Hamza Khan, ranked 121 in the world rankings.

One of the biggest reasons why squash’s popularity graph went down in Pakistan in the post Jansher Khan era was the fact that the country’s players failed to impress much on the international circuit.

A world title at home will have the potential to change this. That is why it is really important for Pakistan to not just successfully host the U23 World Championship, which will feature the brightest young talent from all over the world, but to also make its presence felt in it.

Good old days

I remember last two major events that took place in Pakistan.

In 1993 Jahangir Khan and Jansher teamed up to help Pakistan win the World Team title in Karachi. Jansher also won the World Cup a few days later for a Pakistani double.

Then I was also present at the 2003 World Open which was played in a glass court that was specially installed inside Lahore’s iconic Fortress Stadium. With no Pakistani challenger good enough to win the title, Egyptian talisman Amr Shabana defeated Frenchman Thiery Lincou to win the World Open.

Both in Karachi in 1993 and in Lahore in 2003, thousands of squash fans thronged the two venues to see the world’s top players in action.

I hope that the U23 World Championship in Karachi will also attract squash enthusiasts. The success of the event is important for the revival of Pakistan squash.

One also hopes that the likes of Noor Zaman and Hamza Khan will rise to the occasion.

Meanwhile, the seedings and draws have been announced for championship which will be streamed live on Worldsquash.TV and select partner channels.

The championship features a 32-player draw in both men's and women's events, a $60,000 prize pot and a spot in the PSA World Championships for the winners.

In the men's event, Elkabbani tops the draw, with the Egyptian drawn against Poland's Leon Krysiak in the opening match.

Noor, 20, is drawn against Kuwait's Hussain Alzaatari in round one.

Hamza faces Spain's Hugo Lafuente Jaen in round one while compatriot Muhammad Ammad has been drawn against No.4 seed Mohammed Naseer.

Hamza is one of two former world champions in the men's draw, with the 19-year-old joined by the Netherlands' Rowan Damming. Damming, World Junior Champion in 2022, is No.7 seed and will face Malta's Kijan Sultana in round one.

In the women's event, World No.13 Fayrouz Aboelkheir tops the draw, with the 19-year-old receiving a bye through to round two and set to play the winner of the round one clash between Spain's Noa Romero Blazquez and Pakistan's Mariam Malik.

Aboelkheir is one of two Egyptians in the women's draw and, should the tournament go to seedings, the Alexandrian will take on No.2 seed Malak Khafagy in an all-Egyptian final.

Hoping to spoil the party will be Malaysian No.3 seed Aira Azman, a silver medal winner at the 2023 World Junior Championships, and No.4 seed Sin Yuk Chan of Hong Kong, China.

Chan is joined by two compatriots in the top eight seeds, with Heylie Fung seeded fifth and Toby Tse seeded eighth.

Completing the seedings are Japan No.2 Akari Midorikawa, who has been seeded sixth, and No.7 seed Xin Ying Yee of Malaysia.

Also in action for the hosts are Sana Bahadar and Amna Fayyaz, with Bahadar up against Czechia's Tamara Holzbauerová and Fayyaz taking on Japan's Kurumi Takahashi.