Egyptian Fares Dessouky’s squash year got off to a highly controversial start after he was dumped out of the Karachi Open following a conduct match against the world No.15.
Dessouky was playing a second round match against home hope Noor Zaman, who advanced to the last eight when Dessouky was given four conducts at the back end of their encounter.
According to reports, Dessouky asked referee Sajjad Khan for his nationality before he slammed his racket to the ground in the fifth. Both times he was handed conduct warnings.
He then took umbrage with another referee decision where expletives were allegedly thrown, a conduct match given to the Pakistani when leading 6-3 and Dessouky saying he would report Khan after storming out of the court.
Dessouky was cited for “unacceptable player conduct” in the fourth and fifth games by World Squash Officiating.
WSO said it would conduct a full review of the match as well as an acknowledgement to Dessouky for an error in game two when Zaman received two points at the end of a rally, instead of one.
In the final, there was another unsavoury moment when fifth seed Mohamed Zakaria lifted the biggest title of his career to oust compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen over 100 minutes.
Eleinen was leading Zakaria one game and 9-8 up when he tinned and Zakaria turned to his opponent with a clenched fist in celebration.
The commentators called it “really unnecessary”.
Zakaria won 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7.
Amina Orfi claimed her fourth title of the season with a superb performance against No.2 seed Sivasangari Sivasangari, winning 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 in 38 minutes.