Pakistan’s World Junior squash champion Hamza Khan faced former world number one James Wilstrop and defeated the Britisher 3-1 in the 2nd round of the London Open to qualify for the next stage.
James Willstrop, the opponent defeated by Khan was the world number 1 player in squash in 2012. He stands 6 foot 5 inches tall (unusual for a squash player), and has played a part in 46 tour finals in his career. Hamza Khan has qualified for the quarter-finals of the London Open after defeating Willstrop.
Hailing from Nawa Killi village in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, he comes from a family of squash players. Shahid Zaman, a relative of his remained world number 14th during his playing days, while ex-World Champion Qamar Zaman is also a close relative of his.
Khan recently won the World Junior Squash Championship in Melbourne, Australia when he beat Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria 3-1 in the finals. He traveled to Australia with no trainer or coach but despite that won the mega-event.
Khan ended a 37-year-long wait of Pakistan not being able to win the World Junior squash title, as Jansher Khan was the last World Junior Champion in 1986.
