Willstrop Prepares For Pakistan Open Title Defence

Fresh from his bronze medal success in the World Games in Germany, England's James Willstrop arrives in Karachi at the weekend to begin the defence of his title in the Bank Alfalah Pakistan Open, the third PSA Super Series event of the year.

Willstrop, the 21-year-old former world junior champion from Pontefract, powerfully confirmed his senior status last year when he scythed through a world-class field to claim his first Super Series crown as the eighth seed in the 2004 event in Islamabad.

Seeded five in Karachi, Willstrop first faces Pakistani prodigy Aamir Atlas Khan, the 14-year-old who claimed the Asian Junior (U19) Open title at the beginning of this year.

Top seed in the event is France's world number one Thierry Lincou, the World Games runner-up in Duisburg. Lincou faces Englishman Bradley Ball in the first round - and is expected to meet Australia's No2 seed David Palmer in the final on Friday 29 July.

1st qualifying round:
Shamsul Islam Khan (PAK) bye
Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) bt Ibrahim Gul (PAK) 11-10, 11-2, 11-3
Dylan Bennett (NED) bt Ali Hussan Ayub (PAK) 11-3, 11-3, 11-5
Khalid Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Shah Nawaz (PAK) 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-7
Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Ahmed Hameed (PAK) 11-1, 11-1, 11-1
Amjad Khan (PAK) bt Shahroze Khan (PAK) 11-6, 11-10, 11-0
Aqib Hanif (PAK) bt Bradley Hindle (AUS) 11-10, 11-8, 3-1 ret.
Bilal Zaman (PAK) bt Kashif Khan (PAK) 11-10, 11-10, 11-8
Basit Ashfaq (PAK) bt Jehanzeb Masood (PAK) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3
Majid Khan (PAK) bt Abdul Basit Uppal (PAK) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5
Safeer Ullah Khan (PAK) bt Alamzeb Junior (PAK) 11-8, 11-5, 11-6
Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt Mubashir Gul (PAK) 11-4, 11-5, 11-4
Khayal Muhammad (PAK) bt Naeem Khan (PAK) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7
Farrukh Zaman (PAK) bt Khurram Shahzad (PAK) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) bt Farzan Rasheed (PAK) 11-10, 7-11, 11-10, 6-11, 11-10
Yasir Butt (PAK) bye