Pakistan's top squash player Aamir Atlas Khan won the 5th Kish Persian Gulf Cup 2013 after defeating Nasir Iqbal 3-2 in the all-Pakistan final on Sunday.

Aamir won the first game 11-7, but Nasir bounced back in style to take 2-1 lead by winning next two games 11-8 and 11-7. Aamir raised his game to take the game in decisive set by winning the next game 11-2 and continued his form to seal the fate of the match by winning the final game 11-7. It was the second time in three years that Egyptian players failed to reach the final.

Talking exclusively to The Nation,Pakistansquash team head coach Jamshed Gul admired both players. Jamshed said Aamir was not in good health since the last few months but he never gave up and continued to work hard and earned his reward by winning this prestigious event.

Talking about Nasir, the head coach said: “I have pinned great hopes on this lad particularly for winning titles forPakistanjust like great Jahangir and Jansher did in the past. Now, Nasir has got tremendous agility and understood the game very well. Ever since I take the affairs of the team, I am holding training camps on regular basis, and that is the main reason, we are getting the desired results now. I just give them the much-needed self-belief and help them regain their lost confidence,” he added.

Aamir beat his younger brother Danish Atlas Khan 3-1 in the quarterfinal 11-4, 11-9, 10-12 and 12-10 then he beat Egyptian Andrew Wagih Shoukry in the semi-final in straight games 11-7, 11-2 and 11-7. On the other hand, Nasir beat Harinder Pal Sandhu of India in the quarterfinal 3-0 winning the game 11-4, 11-6 and 11-8. But the biggest result of Nasir was crucial semi-final victory against world No 47 and top seed of the event M Ali Anwar Reda ofEgypt3-2.

It is pertinent to mention here that it was after a very long time that the final of an international event will be played between both Pakistani players. A total of five Pakistanis namely Aamir Atlas, Danish Atlas, Nasir Iqbal, Aaqib Hanif and Kh Adil Maqbool participated in the championship.

“I must thank PSF president Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt who remained instrumental in providing us with all the required stuff and was very kind to act upon my suggestions of holding camps on regular basis and providing us with the best available facilities,” he said.

We are working on the right direction and I am very confident that with the passage of time and proper training, these boys will get the class and they will surely regain the lost squash glory. But to achieve this goal, the federation has to provide maximum funds to the players while the players must work hard on and off the court to earn laurels for the country,” Jamshed concluded.