Iskandar Survives Dutch Threat
Dec 29, 2004, by Howard Harding; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;

Quarterfinal Round   [draw]

Holland's #1 player, Tommy Berden, stretched Mohd Azlan Iskandar fully in today;s quarterfinal round of the Malaysian Open today. But Iskandar, who lost two tense tiebreakers in the first and fourth games, pulled through in the fifth to reach the semifinal on home soil.

Egyptian Teenage Sensation Continues To Make Progress In Malaysia
Egypt's 17-year-old Ramy Ashour continued his impressive run on the PSA Tour today (Wednesday) in Kuala Lumpur when he despatched experienced Frenchman Stephane Galifi to reach the semi-finals of the Country View Malaysian Open Squash Championship at the National Squash Centre.

Ashour, who at 16 became the youngest ever winner of the world junior championship title in August, made a spectacular PSA debut last month in Greece when he won the Athens Open as a qualifier. After trouncing eighth-seeded Pakistani Majid Khan in the first round in Kuala Lumpur, Ashour defeated Galifi - the surprise earlier conqueror of top-seeded Malaysian Ong Beng Hee - 11-5 5-11 7-11 11-10 11-8 in 52 minutes.

He will meet compatriot Wael El Hindi for a place in the final after the third seed overcame England's sole entrant Joey Barrington 11-6 11-5 11-8 in the other quarter-final in the top half of the draw.

Local interest in the $20,000 PSA Tour event is still being led by second seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar. But the 22-year-old from Sarawak was fully stretched by Dutchman Tommy Berden before beating the fifth seed 10-11 11-5 11-7 10-11 11-3 in 77 minutes.

Iskandar faces Pakistan's Shahid Zaman in the semi-finals following the fourth seed's 1-11 11-6 2-11 11-1 11-5 dismissal in 25 minutes of Egypt's seventh seed Mohamed Essam A Hafiz.

RESULTS: Country View Malaysian Open Squash Championship, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Quarter-finals:
[Q] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Stephane Galifi (FRA) 11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 11-10 (6-4), 11-8 (52m)
[3] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [6] Joey Barrington (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (35m)
[4] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt [7] Mohamed Essam A Hafiz (EGY) 1-11, 11-6, 2-11, 11-1, 11-5 (25m)
[2] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [5] Tommy Berden (NED) 10-11 (0-2), 11-5, 11-7, 10-11 (0-2), 11-3 (77m)

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