Koukal and Rehman in Christchurch Final

Jan Koukal and Aqeel Rehman will contest the final of the Doubledot Media Christchurch International Open tomorrow.

Jan Koukal gave ten years away to his Malaysian semi-final opponent, the promising Adeen Idrakie of Malaysia.  Besides youth, Idrakie also had excellent movement skills on his side.  If this caused Koukal any undue problems, the keen card shark showed a poker face throughout, and doggedly plugged the four corners of the court for as long as was required to win the rally.  Young Idrakie was often drawn to unforced errors in his attempts to create winners and finish rallies.  Although it was Koukal’s longest match of the tournament so far, at just 35 minutes he will have freshness and energy on his side tomorrow.  The 3pm decider will be Koukal’s second career PSA final on New Zealand shores, after beating Wellington’s Evan Williams at the 2012 Henderson Open.

The second semi-final also featured an age disparity, with the younger Austrian Aqeel Rehman up against veteran New Zealander Kashif Shuja.  From the outset Shuja seemed to be in vintage form, with several onlookers making comparisons to the Shuja of several years ago.  Despite Rehman’s best attempts to cover the court, Shuja found winner after exquisite winner from his Titan racket, taking a 2-0 lead in the process.  When Rehman fought back to take the third set, it seemed that Shuja may have been resting.  The quality of squash remained high, if not somewhat slower-paced.  When Rehman went on to take the fourth, the partisan Kiwi crowd was hushed.  A titanic tussle of a fifth set ensued.  As the two players tired, obstruction became prevalent, as did debate with the referees.  Rehman took the final set 11-6 and yelled with delight. 

The final will therefore be played between Jan Koukal and Aqeel Rehman at 3pm at Burnside Squash Club.  The finals of the Burnside Open will be played from midday.  Entry is free for all matches.

Semi-final Results

(1) Jan Koukal (CZE) bt (5) Adeen Idrakie (MAS) 11-8 11-5 11-9 (35 minutes)
(2) Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt (Q) Kashif Shuja (NZL) 8-11 9-11 11-6 11-6 11-6 (61 minutes)

Final

(1) Jan Koukal (CZE) vs. (3) Aqeel Rehman (AUT)