LAHORE, Pakistan, 17 December 2003 — Defending champion David Palmer stormed into the third round yesterday with an easy victory over Mohammad Azlan Iskander of Malaysia in the men’s World Open Squash Tournament.
Australian Palmer showed little signs of his thigh injury in the $170,000 tournament as he beat his rival 15-8, 15-9, 15-11.
“Nice to come through with a straight game win,” Palmer said after his victory.
Pakistan’s hopes were virtually dashed yesterday when Mansoor Zaman lost to Finland’s Olli Tuominen in another second round match. No. 15 seed Simon Parke also packed his bags after Egyptian Mohammed Abbas upset the Englishman.
Zaman, the No. 13 seed, wasted four game points in the fourth game as Tuominen fought back hard and won 11-15, 15-10, 15-8, 17-15. Qualifier Arshad Iqbal Burki is the lone Pakistani survivor left in the tournament after six of his countrymen were pushed out. Burki will meet Dutchman Tommy Breden — who beat No. 12 seed Martin Heath — in a tough second round match. Zaman conceded that he made too many mistakes and lost an ideal opportunity to level the match in the fourth game. “I did not play on this fast court before the tournament and I found it difficult to adjust myself. The result could have been different had I won the fourth game,” said the No. 13 seed Zaman, son of former British Open champion Qamar Zaman.
Abbas, the No. 20 seed, dropped the first game, but thundered back to beat the No. 15 seed Parke 5-15, 15-7, 15-7, 15-5 in half an hour. South African Rodney Durbach stretched the No. 10 seed Gregory Gaultier to limits before going down in five games 15-10, 5-15, 15-11, 9-15, 15-11 in a second round match, which lasted nearly one and a half hours. Top seed Peter Nicol of England and No. 7 seed Egyptian Karim Darwish were scheduled to play their second round matches later.
