ISLAMABAD: World number 66 Farhan Mehboob of Pakistan has won the President Cup International Squash Championship, beating Leo Au of Hong Kong 3-2 in the final played in Islamabad.
The top seed and world number 31 from Hong Kong looked helpless in first two games against Farhan, as the home crowd cheered to boost confidence of local favourite.
However, after losing first two games 4/11, 4/11 Leo Au won the next two frames 11/8 and 12/10. At one point, in the 4th game, Farhan required just one championship point, but Leo defended it thrice as Farhan looked frustrated to win the championship point. Earlier, in the third game Farhan dropped seven frames hitting down the line.
However, in the final game, Farhan completely outclassed Leo Au to win the final game 11/3 and with the championship.
The win in $25,000 tournament would add 450 points to help Farhan further improve his PSA World Ranking, which was already on rise due to his current winning streak of three tournaments.
Farhan hailed PSF’s efforts for the revival of international squash in country, saying that playing at home boosted his morale.
“It was encouraging for me to see crowd in arena cheering for me, although it added pressure on me but it kept me motivated,” Farhan said after the win.
“I am looking forward to continue the winning streak and play my part in winning back the glory for country,” he added.
