Sohail makes history by winning U13 British Open crown

ISLAMABAD: Muhammad Sohail Adnan stunned top seed Egyptian Moez Tamer Elmoghazy in a hard fought five-game thriller to win Under-13 title of the British Junior Open in Birmingham Monday.

The youngster from Bahawalpur won 11-5, 5-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5 in a final that lasted for 39 minutes. Sohail was 1-2 down going into the fourth game when he staged a recovery and toppled the top seed.

While majority of the Pakistan juniors shied away from the high-profile British Open that is usually dominated by Egyptian players, Sohail coached by Kashif Butt was sponsored by a squash enthusiast to take a trip to the UK.

On Sohail’s remarkable achievement, his coach Kashif Butt told ‘The News’ from Lahore that the youngster has been under his coaching for the last two years. “I train Sohail out of my passion for the game. I have been training the youngster for the last two years and almost do it on a daily basis. His sponsor and supporter Shiraz Saleem and his father take keen interest in his grooming. As a coach I never took a penny to train and promote him,” said Kashif Butt, when asked about Sohail Adnan training.

He added that his trip to the UK would not have been possible if Shiraz Sahib did not arrange his tickets and other related expenditures. “The youngster is talented but this is just a beginning. The game of squash has gone too fast and competitive as such Sohail will have to work even harder in days to come to maintain his supremacy at the junior level. I hope and pray that the way he took interest in his training these days, he will continue to do that in months and years to come. It is all about focusing on the game and working hard each day. I am happy that he is fully focused,” Kashif Butt told The News.

Besides Sohail, the recent winners at international level are Azan Ali Khan (Scottish Open winner ) coached by his father Asif Khan, Raja Armas (Under-11 US Open winner coached by his father Raja Naeem), Mahoor Ali (US Open winner-coached by Kama Khan) and Huzaifa Shahid (Coached by his father Shahid Khan).