Omar Upsets Azlan in Malaysian Open 2009
After having been beaten by Egyptian Omar Mosaad, two-time Squash champion Azlan Iskandar failed right from the very first hurdle of the men’s event in the Malaysian Open 2009; losing all hopes of him grabbing the title for the third time.
Fifth seed local hero Iskandar, who is World Number 13, took the opening Dunlop squash racket game with a score of 10-12, but he was unable to continue the winning streak after 21-year old Mosaad took the upper hand and successively pounded him in the remaining sets, 11-5, 11-1, 11-9.
It is the first time for Iskandar, the 2004 and 2007 Malaysian open champion, to have not advanced to the semi-final match in his six-year participation to the event since 2004.
While Iskandar fails to advance, World Number 26 Mosaad will continue to set a date with former World Number 2 James Willstroop from England to secure a place in the semi-final round.
Willstroop, in his second competitive appearance after undergoing surgery on his ankle recently, proved his sports agility as he thumped Egyptian Hisham Ashour in his first match, 10-12, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8, 11-3.
Also advancing to the quarter-final match together with Mosaad and Willstroop is defending champion Ong Beng Hee who is the only one left from the Malaysian Men team to vie for the championship after the rest of his team mates were cut off.
Ong Beng Hee, the three-time Malaysian Open champion, displayed authority in his first match after he dispatched wild card opponent Muhd Asyraf Azan from, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5.
Another three-time champion, Egyptian Amr Shabana, will also move on to the quarter finals after pounding Pakistan qualifier Yasir Butt, 11-3, 11-1, 11-6.
He is set to face another Pakistani athlete but far more stronger - the World Number 8 Farhan Mehboob.
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