Aamir Ambushes Ong Beng Hee In Major Upset In Islamabad

Pakistan's 15-year-old Aamir Atlas Khan caused the biggest squash upset of the year when he beat world No18 Ong Beng Hee, runner-up in the $25,000 PSA Tour event last year, in today's first round of the CAS International in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The upset was a major blow for the top-seeded Malaysian - whose defeat was the first by a player outside the world top 60 for more than four years.

Aamir, a qualifier, is the reigning Asian Junior Champion. But it took him just 26 minutes to rout Beng Hee, the senior Asian champion, 11-10 11-5 11-5 and earn a shock place in the quarter-finals.

His next opponent Safeer Ullah Khan also engineered an upset when he dismissed Egypt's seventh seed Mohamed Essam A Hafiz 11-9 11-8 11-6, also in 26 minutes. Safeer Ullah will hope to avenge his defeat by fellow Pakistani Aamir in March's COAS International, also in Islamabad.

It was an especially good day for the future of Pakistan squash - with two other young players ejecting seeds to take up unexpected places in the last eight.

Qualifier Majid Khan defeated Egypt's fifth seed Hisham Mohd Ashour 11-6 11-8 11-10, while unseeded 17-year-old Yasir Butt overcame compatriot Shamsul Islam Khan, the No8 seed, 11-9 6-11 11-10 11-4.

1st round:
[Q] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [1] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-10 (2-0), 11-5, 11-5 (26m)
Safeer Ullah Khan (PAK) bt [7] Mohamed Essam A Hafiz (EGY) 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 (26m)
[4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Gavin Jones (WAL) 11-4, 11-10 (2-0), 11-9 (24m)
[Q] Majid Khan (PAK) bt [5] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-6, 11-8, 11-10 (2-0) (26m)
Yasir Butt (PAK) bt [8] Shamsul Islam Khan (PAK) 11-9, 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-4 (34m)
[3] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) bt [Q] Basit Ashfaq (PAK) 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 (26m)
[6] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (20m)
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [Q] Amjad Khan (PAK) 9-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-8 (34m)