Kashif Captures Kuwait Qualifying Final Place

New Zealand's Kashif Shuja produced the only upset in today's men's first qualifying round of the 2007 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open and is now just one match away from a place in the main draw of the world's richest squash championship at the Al Qadsia Sports Centre in Kuwait City.

The Pakistan-born world No51 from Auckland took just three games to defeat France's Jean-Michel Arcucci, ranked three places higher, 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 in 38 minutes. In Friday's qualifying finals, Shuja will face Davide Bianchetti, who arrived in Kuwait direct from his ninth title win in the Italian National Championships. At Al Qadsia, Bianchetti was taken to five games before overcoming Egypt's Amr Swelim 11-3, 3-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7 in 75 minutes.

Aamir Atlas Khan, the 16-year-old from Peshawar who this month became Pakistan's highest-ranked player in the PSA World Rankings, needed only 22 minutes to despatch Kuwait's Falah F Mohammed 11-4, 11-4, 11-7. The teenager now faces Mexico's Eric Galvez, who was drawn to face the only other player from Central America in the draw, beating Colombia's Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-7, 11-7, 11-3.

Pakistan's Shahid Zaman, perhaps given extra motivation by seeing Aamir Atlas Khan taking over as his country's top-ranked player, battled for 53 minutes to defeat his Czech opponent Jan Koukal 11-6, 6-11, 10-11 (1-3), 11-9, 11-10 (3-1). Zaman, a former world No14, now meets Jonathan Kemp, one of five Englishmen to earn a place in the qualifying finals.

1st qualifying round:
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) bt Salem F Mohammed (KUW) 9-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (23m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (33m)
Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Ahmad Al-Randi (KUW) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 (15m)
Amr Mansi (EGY) bt Nasser B Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-10 (2-0), 11-5, 11-2 (26m)
Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt Amr Swelim (EGY) 11-3, 3-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7 (75m)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Jean-Michel Arcucci (FRA) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (38m)
Alister Walker (ENG) bt Yasser El Halaby (EGY) 9-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-4, 11-9 (55m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Mohammed Hajeyah (KUW) 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (28m)
Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Falah F Mohammed (KUW) 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 (22m)
Eric Galvez (MEX) bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (42m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Muhammad Faheem Khan (PAK) 11-1, 11-1, 11-2 (13m)
Bradley Ball (ENG) bt Abdul Rahman Al-Malki (QAT) 11-1, 11-7, 11-2 (16m)
Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-6, 6-11, 10-11 (1-3), 11-9, 11-10 (3-1) (53m)
Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt Ali Alramezi (KUW) 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 (22m)
Dylan Bennett (NED) bt Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) 11-10 (3-1), 11-10 (3-1), 11-9 (40m)
Joey Barrington (ENG) bt Tarek Momen (EGY) 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-10 (2-0) (69m)