Azam Khan (squash player)
Encyclopedia
Azam Khan is a former squash
player from Pakistan
who won the British Open
four times between 1959 and 1962.
Azam was introduced to squash by his older brother, Hashim Khan
, who was also one of the world's top squash players in his time. After winning the British Open in 1951, Hashim recruited Azam as his practice partner in the summer of 1952. (The British Open was considered to be the effective world championship of the sport at the time.) Azam progressed so quickly under his older brother's tutelage that he would go on to face Hashim in the final of the 1954 British Open, which Hashim won in five sets. Azam was also runner-up to Hashim at the British Open in 1955 and 1958. Azam then went on to win four consecutive British Open titles in 1959-62. He also won the US Open
in 1962. Later that year, a ruptured Achilles tendon effectively ended his career.
After his playing career, Azam settled in the United Kingdom
. Today, he owns and runs the New Grampians Squash Club in London
. His granddaughter Carla Khan
is currently a professional squash player on the international circuit.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
who won the British Open
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...
four times between 1959 and 1962.
Azam was introduced to squash by his older brother, Hashim Khan
Hashim Khan
Hashim Khan is a former squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open seven times between 1951 and 1958.Hashim Khan was born in Nawakille , a small village near Peshawar, in British India to an ethnic Pashtun family. The year of his birth is usually reported as 1916, though this has been...
, who was also one of the world's top squash players in his time. After winning the British Open in 1951, Hashim recruited Azam as his practice partner in the summer of 1952. (The British Open was considered to be the effective world championship of the sport at the time.) Azam progressed so quickly under his older brother's tutelage that he would go on to face Hashim in the final of the 1954 British Open, which Hashim won in five sets. Azam was also runner-up to Hashim at the British Open in 1955 and 1958. Azam then went on to win four consecutive British Open titles in 1959-62. He also won the US Open
United States Open (squash)
The United States Open squash championships is an annual squash tournament sponsored by U.S. Squash. The championship was inaugurated in 1954 as an opportunity for professionals and amateurs to compete against each other...
in 1962. Later that year, a ruptured Achilles tendon effectively ended his career.
After his playing career, Azam settled in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Today, he owns and runs the New Grampians Squash Club in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His granddaughter Carla Khan
Carla Khan
Carla Khan born 18 August 1981 in London) is a Pakistani professional squash player and is the granddaughter of Azam Khan, one of the legends of squash in Pakistan and daughter of Jacqui Stoter and Wasil Khan. She started playing squash in England at age 12...
is currently a professional squash player on the international circuit.
British Open final appearances
| Wins (4) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1959 | Mo Khan | 9-5, 9-0, 9-1 |
| 1960 | Roshan Khan Roshan Khan Roshan Khan was a squash player from Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the 1950s and early-1960s, and won the British Open title in 1957... |
9-1, 9-0, 9-0 |
| 1961 | Mo Khan | 6-9, 9-1, 9-4, 0-9, 9-2 |
| 1962 | Mo Khan | 9-6, 7-9, 10-8, 2-9, 9-4 |
| Runner-ups (3) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1954 | Hashim Khan Hashim Khan Hashim Khan is a former squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open seven times between 1951 and 1958.Hashim Khan was born in Nawakille , a small village near Peshawar, in British India to an ethnic Pashtun family. The year of his birth is usually reported as 1916, though this has been... |
6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 7-9, 9-5 |
| 1955 | Hashim Khan Hashim Khan Hashim Khan is a former squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open seven times between 1951 and 1958.Hashim Khan was born in Nawakille , a small village near Peshawar, in British India to an ethnic Pashtun family. The year of his birth is usually reported as 1916, though this has been... |
9-7, 7-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-7 |
| 1958 | Hashim Khan Hashim Khan Hashim Khan is a former squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open seven times between 1951 and 1958.Hashim Khan was born in Nawakille , a small village near Peshawar, in British India to an ethnic Pashtun family. The year of his birth is usually reported as 1916, though this has been... |
9-7, 6-9, 9-6, 9-7 |