Bhattacharya Leads Qualifier Surge In Kolkata

Four seeds fell on today's (Wednesday) opening day of action in the Kolkata International Squash Championship – with local hero Ritwik Bhattacharya, a qualifier, claiming the biggest upset to become the only Indian through to the quarter-finals of the new PSA Tour event in the former Indian capital.

The 25-year-old from New Delhi fought back from 1/2 down to despatch fourth seed Mohamed Essam A Hafiz, from , 11-9 8-11 9-11 11-3 11-8 in 57 minutes, and now meets another qualifier Khayal Muhammad Khan for an unlikely place in the last four.

Khan beat 's fifth seed Ben Garner 11-10 8-11 11-7 11-8 in 50 minutes.

There was also a surprise English success in the bottom half of the draw when unseeded Stacey Ross, from Surrey, overcame eighth seed Phillip Barker 11-8 11-7 11-4 in 36 minutes to set up a quarter-final meeting with Australia's second seed Cameron Pilley.

 

 

 

 

RESULTS:        Kolkata International Squash Championship, Kolkata,

1st round: 
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND)              11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 (42m)
[Q] Basit Ashfaq (PAK) bt [7] Gavin Jones (WAL)                         11-4, 2-11, 11-7, 11-10 (2-0) (52m) 
[Q] Ritwik Bhattacharya ( IND ) bt [4] Mohamed Essam A Hafiz (EGY)         11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8 (57m) 
[Q] Khayal Muhammad Khan (PAK) bt [5] Ben Garner (ENG)          11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (50m) 
[6] Alister Walker (ENG) bt Yasir Butt (PAK)                               8-11, 11-1, 11-6, 7-11, 11-10 (2-0) (64m) 
[3] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt [Q] Cameron White (AUS)                  11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-0 (46m) 
Stacey Ross (ENG) bt [8] Phillip Barker (ENG)                             11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (36m) 
[2] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK)                  11-6, 11-4, 11-10 (4-2) (21m)