| British Open Squash Championships | |
|---|---|
| 21st British Open Championships | |
| Details | |
| Location | London, England |
| Venue | Royal Automobile Club |
The 1959 Open Championship was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London from 11 March - 16 March.
Azam Khan finally won his first title after finishing runner-up to his older brother Hashim Khan on three previous occasions. He defeated Mo Khan in the final.
Defending champion and top seed Hashim Khan had withdrawn from the Championships after ankle problems and another seed Roshan Khan had been recalled to service by the Pakistan navy. [1]
| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Azam Khan ^ | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanif Khan | 1 | 0 | 1 | Azam Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 W J Ashford | 9 | 9 | 9 | ret | Ashford | 3 | 6 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| H de B Priestley + | 10 | 3 | 4 | Azam Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ali Akbar Khan | 9 | 10 | 9 | Ali Akbar Khan | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D W Harman | 5 | 8 | 4 | Ali Akbar Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Hawkey + | w/o | Richard Hawkey | 5 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jack Giles | scr | Azam Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mo Khan ^ | 9 | 9 | 9 | Mo Khan | 5 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Khan Din | 0 | 2 | 1 | Mo Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Denis Hughes + | 9 | 9 | 9 | Hughes | 2 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| R Horsey | 0 | 0 | 4 | Mo Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nasrullah Khan | 9 | 10 | 9 | Nasrullah Khan | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| J C Gordon + | 2 | 8 | 0 | Nasrullah Khan | 9 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Jamal Din | 9 | 9 | 9 | Jamal Din | 7 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jim McQueenie | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
+ amateur
^ seeded
Hashim Khan was a squash player from Pakistan. He won the British Open Squash Championships a total of seven times, from 1951 to 1956, and then again in 1958. Khan was the patriarch of the Khan squash family, which dominated the sport from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Azam Khan was a Pakistani squash player who won the British Open Championships four times between 1959 and 1962.
Roshan Khan was a squash player from Nawakille, Peshawar, Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the early-1960s, and won the British Open title in 1957.
Mohibullah Khan, often referred to by the nickname "Mo Khan", was a squash player from Pakistan. He was one of the leading players in the game in the 1960s and a member of the famous Khan Dynasty of squash. His biggest triumph was winning the British Open in 1963.
The U.S. Open (squash) is the most prestigious squash tournament in the United States, and one of the most significant in the world. It is a major international display of supreme talent in the sport, and showcases the top players from around the world.
Squash is one of the most popular sports in Pakistan. Pakistan had hosted a number of international tournaments and has many professional training centers around the country. Pakistan reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s during the reigns of Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.Both players won many laurels for the country.Jansher Khan won the World Open eight times and the British Open six times. He was ranked number 1 in the world for six years. Jahangir Khan is easily the greatest professional squash player of all time with an unofficial record of having 555-game winning streak. Between 1950 and 1997, Pakistan amassed over 30 British Open titles, 14 World Open titles and many more PSA professional titles.
The 1951 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 04-9 April. Hashim Khan won his first title defeating four times champion Mahmoud Karim in the final.
The 1952 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 02-7 April. Hashim Khan won his second consecutive title defeating four times champion Mahmoud Karim in the final.
The 1953 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 25 March - 2 April. Hashim Khan won his third consecutive title defeating Roy Wilson in the final.
The 1954 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 24 March - 29 March. Hashim Khan won his fourth consecutive title defeating his younger brother Azam Khan in the final.
The 1955 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 23 March - 28 March. Hashim Khan won his fifth consecutive title defeating his younger brother Azam Khan in a repeat of the 1954 final. Hashim Khan equalled the record number of five wins set by F.D. Amr Bey
The 1956 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 21 March - 26 March. Hashim Khan won his sixth consecutive title defeating Roshan Khan in the final.
The 1957 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 20 March - 25 March.
Roshan Khan won the title defeating Hashim Khan in the final. This was the first ever defeat for Hashim Khan in the open championships.
The 1958 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 27 March - 31 March. Hashim Khan won his seventh title to extend his record and in the final he defeated his brother Azam Khan once again.
The 1960 Open Championship was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London from 2–7 December 1959.
The Open championship was moved to December to avoid a clash with the professional championship. However to confuse matters instead of waiting until December 1960 the authorities decided to hold the tournament in December 1959 despite the fact that it had already been held in March 1959.
Azam Khan retained his title beating Roshan Khan in final. Roshan slipped in the second rally of the final hurting himself, he played well until 4-1 behind in the first game but then faded very badly and could not move fluently which led to Azam going through the motions of wrapping up the easy victory.
The 1961 Open Championship was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London from 29 November - 4 December 1960.
Once again the Open championship was held during the previous December to avoid a clash with the professional championship. This method would be used until 1969.
Azam Khan won his third consecutive title beating Mo Khan in the final. A third place play off also took place in which Roshan Khan defeated Denis Hughes 9-3 9-0 9-3.
The 1962 Open Championship was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London from 27 November - 4 December 1961.
Azam Khan won his fourth consecutive title beating Mo Khan in a repeat of the 1961 final. Roshan Khan defeated Dardir El Bakary in the third place play off 9-6 9-7 8-10 0-9 9-1.
The 1963 Open Championship was held at the Lansdowne Club in London from 26 November - 5 December 1962.
Azam Khan was unable to defend his title after struggling to regain fitness following an Achilles tendon injury. Mo Khan won the Open Championship defeating Abdelfattah Abou Taleb in the final. Incredibly Taleb had led the final two sets to one and eight points to one needing just one more point to become champion. Mo Khan however recovered to win the set and then the match in a remarkable comeback. Roshan Khan defeated Aftab Jawaid in the third place play off 9-3 9-6 5-9 4-9 9-3.
The 1981 Audi British Open Championships was held at the Bromley Town Squash Club with the later stages being held at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, Greater London from 30 March - 9 April 1981.
Geoff Hunt won his eighth title defeating Jahangir Khan in the final. This eighth win set a new record surpassing the seven wins set by Hashim Khan of Pakistan.
The Khan squash family, sometimes referred to as the Khan squash dynasty, refers to a Pakistani family that has produced a succession of champion squash players. The dynasty's patriarch was Hashim Khan (1914-2014), whose win at the 1951 British Open began the era of his family's dominance in the sport. This family dominance continues with Ivy League star Anoush Khan. Members of the Khan family have combined for a total of 23 British Open, 16 North American Open, 19 US Professional Championships, and six World Championships wins.