The news that over 21 Pakistani squash athletes would compete in seven upcoming international competitions in May is encouraging for the Pakistani squash community as it shows that there is renewed interest in developing the sport’s talent.
From May 1 to May 5, Mehmood Mehboob, Khakan Malik, and Israr Ahmed are reportedly scheduled to compete in the $6000 Singleton Open in Australia.
In the first round, Khakan, who is currently unseeded, will take on Yuto Anda of Japan, while Mehmood will compete in the Australian Singleton against Javed Ali.
While Ashab Irfan, Huzaifa Ibrahim, Abdul Malik, and Saeed Abdul compete for a $6,000 prize in the Kiva Club Open in the US from May 7–11, Israr will play squash player James Nicholas from Australia.
Saeed Abdul will face Matias Lacroix of China in the opening round of the Kiva Club Open on the squash court.
Twelve squash players from Pakistan will compete in the $3000 NT Open in Australia, which runs from May 8 to May 12.
The rising squash sensation from Pakistan, Hamza Khan, will compete in the PSA World Championships in Egypt from May 9 to May 18. As an invitee of PSA, he hopes to win the championship.
The first round, which will be quite taxing, has Hamza Khan drawn against Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland.
Auckland Open in New Zealand will begin on May 16 and go until May 19. Two mainstays in Pakistan’s squash scene, Muhammad Essa and Fawad Hussain, will compete in the $3000 competition.
The opening round of the Qatar Squash Federation (QSF 3-PSA Bronze) in Qatar is scheduled to begin on May 22 and last through May 26. Tayyab Aslam will play Aly Hussein from Egypt, while Asim Khan will face his longtime rival Abhay Singh from India.
It is anticipated that these athletes’ participation in international competitions will increase interest in and support for squash in Pakistan, possibly drawing additional funding and government attention to the game.