- ARY will partner with Sindh Squash Association as the event’s commercial and broadcast partner.
- International squash players will take part in the PSA World Tour Bronze and PSA Challenger Tour 20 from 15 to 19 March, 2022.
- Former world no. 1 Karim Abdel Gawad and France’s Enora Villard head the men’s and women’s draws, respectively.
- This is the first event under the ACE Games initiative launched by the ARY group with an aim to foster a sporting culture in Pakistan.
- The event will be broadcast live on Pakistan’s first HD sports channel, A Sports.
- The official hashtags are #KarachiOpen #KheloPakistan
The official handles are Twitter: @asportstvpk, Instagram: asportstv.pk, Facebook: @asportstv.pk
Karachi:-Karachi is set to host another high-profile international sporting event with the Karachi Open Squash Championship taking place from 15 – 19 March 2022.
The main draws for the 2022 Karachi Open Squash Championship see former World No.1 Karim Abdel Gawad and France’s Enora Villard heading the men’s and women’s draws, respectively.
The male event is a PSA World Tour Bronze tournament, while the female competition is a PSA Challenger Tour 20 tournament.
ARY and Sindh Squash Association join hands for an international squash event with 40 foreign players
Former World Champion Gawad leads the men’s draw and will be looking to claim his first title since 2019. The Egyptian will face the winner of home favorite Asim Khan and England’s Declan James in his first match of the tournament as he receives a bye in round one.
World No.16 Youssef Soliman from Egypt is the number two seed. Soliman, a recent quarter-finalist at the Houston Open, will open his account against the winner of Spain’s Bernat Jaume and event wildcard Muhammad Ashab Irfan from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s best chance of a home winner comes in the form of World No.44 Tayyab Aslam. The nation’s No.1 will face up and coming Egyptian Yahya Elnawasany in his first-round match. The pair last met at the Egyptian Open in September, with the Egyptian winning 3-1 in 38 minutes to level the head-to-head record at 1-1.
France’s Enora Villard is the number one seed for the female event. The French No.4 recently lost out to Georgina Kennedy from England in the last 16 of the Cleveland Classic and will be looking to improve on that performance in Karachi. Villard will play either Pakistan’s Zaynab Khan or New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts in her opening match of the event.
England’s Lucy Beecroft is one to watch in the event. The World No.62 won two events in 2021 and will be determined to add to that tally in 2022. Beecroft receives a bye in round one but will face either wildcard Anam Mustafa Aziz or Serbia’s Jelena Dutina in round two.
No.3 seed Marie Stephan is entering the Challenger 20 event full of confidence as the 25-year-old recently captured her first French Nationals title, beating Enora Villard in the final. Stephan will play Pakistan’s Amna Fayyaz or Malaysia’s Yee Xin Ying for a place in the quarter-finals.
Pakistan Rangers Sindh will collaborate with the event organizers for providing foolproof security arrangements to all participants.
Chairman Sindh Squash Association and Emeritus President of World Squash Federation Jahangir Khan Said “The Sindh Squash Association is delighted to host the Karachi Open Squash Championship 2022. We are excited to collaborate with the ARY group who have always been huge supporters of sports in the country.
“We are all very excited to showcase Pakistan’s hospitality to a number of talented international squash players and I look forward to welcoming them in Karachi this March.”
Chairman AKD Group Aqeel Karim Dhedhi Said
“The business community of Karachi is proud to support Pakistan’s resurgence in sports. The Karachi Open Squash Championship, and other events in the pipeline under the ACE Games umbrella, will have our full support as we aim to promote Pakistan as a sports destination and build Pakistan’s own sporting heroes.”
ARY Digital Founder and CEO Salman Iqbal Said “I am delighted that we are partnering with the Sindh Squash Association and the business community of Pakistan to bring this star-studded squash event to Pakistan. Pakistan has hosted a number of international cricket events in the last few years and the Karachi Open Squash Championship will be a great addition to the country’s sports industry. I am confident that with world-class TV coverage on A Sports, Pakistan’s first HD sports channel, and a memorable event, we will be able to further raise the profile of Pakistan as a sports destination.
“Our vision with ACE Games is to promote sports in Pakistan and provide avenues for our youth to train themselves so that they can bring laurels for Pakistan and I hope that all stakeholders will continue to support us in our efforts.”
Karachi Open Squash Championship
2022: Men’s Draw
[1] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [Bye]
Asim Khan (PAK) v [9/16] Declan James (ENG)
[9/16] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Henry Leung (HKG)
[6] Todd Harrity (USA) [Bye]
[7] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) [Bye]
Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v [9/16] Edmon Lopez (ESP)
[9/16] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v [WC] Noor Zaman (PAK)
[3] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [Bye]
[4] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) [Bye]
Faraz Khan (USA) v [9/16] Alan Clyne (SCO)
[9/16] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) v Mazen Gamal (EGY)
[8] Sebastien Bonmalais (FRA) [Bye]
[5] Shahjahan Khan (USA) [Bye]
Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) v [9/16] Tayyab Aslam (PAK)
[9/16] Bernat Jaume (ESP) v [WC] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK)
[2] Youssef Soliman (EGY) [Bye]
Karachi Open Squash Championship 2022: Women’s Draw
[1] Enora Villard [Bye]
Zaynab Khan (PAK) v [9/16] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL)
[9/16] NadeenKotb (EGY) v Sofía Mateos (ESP)
[5] Nadia Pfister (SUI) [Bye]
[6] Georgia Adderley (SCO) [Bye]
Lea Barbeau (FRA) v [9/16] Chan Yiwen (MAS)
[9/16] Amna Fayyaz (PAK) v Yee Xin Ying (MAS)
[3] Marie Stephan (FRA) [Bye]
[4] Ka Yi Lee (HKG) [Bye]
Sarah Cardwell (AUS) v [9/16] Anna Kimberley (ENG)
[9/16] Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) v Rana Ismail (EGY)
[7] Menna Hamed (EGY) [Bye]
[8] Lucy Beecroft (ENG) [Bye]
[WC] Anam Mustafa Aziz (PAK) v [9/16] Jelena Dutina (SRB)
[9/16] Nour Aboulmakarim (EGY) v [WC] Mariam Malik (PAK)
[2] Menna Nasser (EGY) [Bye]