Waqar Wipes Out Top Seed Lavigne In KL

Pakistan teenager Waqar Mehboob maintained his 'giant-killing' run in the NSC Series No4 Squash Championships after toppling top seed Renan Lavigne in today's quarter-finals of the $10,000 PSA Tour event at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

After ditching fifth-seeded Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet in the first round, the 17-year-old qualifier celebrated the highest-ranked scalp of his career by beating Lavigne, the world No32 from France, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 13-11 in exactly an hour.

Mehboob, the world No97 from Peshawar, would have expected to meet a fellow countryman in the semi-finals - but a further shock in the men's event led to unseeded South African Clinton Leeuw claiming an 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 12-10 victory in 50 minutes over Shamsul Islam Khan, the No7 seed from Quetta.

The longest match in the event also produced an unexpected outcome - and guaranteed the presence of local interest in the final. Ivan Yuen, an 18-year-old qualifier from Selangor, prevailed 6-11, 12-10, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5 against fourth-seeded Australian Ryan Cuskelly in a 96-minute marathon.

The Asian junior champion will now face fellow Malaysian Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan after the second seed also got the better of an Australian, beating Zac Alexander 11-8, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6.

Action in the women's $16,000 WISPA World Tour event continued to progress according to the seedings, with former world champion Vanessa Atkinson leading the drive through to the semi-finals. The Dutch favourite beat Donna Urquhart, the No7 seed from Australia 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4 and will now meet England's Tania Bailey for a place in the final.

The third seed from England ended Malaysian interest in the event with a 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 win over rising star Delia Arnold. Bailey will be hoping to avenge the straight games defeat by Atkinson she suffered in their last meeting a year ago - also in KL!

Revenge was in the air when England's Dominique Lloyd-Walter beat sixth seed Sarah Kippax 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 - only a month after losing to her lower-ranked compatriot in the British National Championship.

Fourth seed Lloyd-Walter will now take on Shelley Kitchen following the second-seeded Kiwi's 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 win over Ireland's Aisling Blake.

Men's quarter-finals:
[Q] Waqar Mehboob (PAK) bt [1] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 13-11 (60m)
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [7] Shamsul Islam Khan (PAK) 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 12-10 (50m)
[Q] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [4] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 6-11, 12-10, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5 (96m)
[2] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-8, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6 (40m)

Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [7] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4 (37m)
[3] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [5] Delia Arnold (MAS) 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 (31m)
[4] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt [6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 (36m)
[2] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [8] Aisling Blake (IRL) 11-5, 11-7, 11-3 (36m)