Jansher Khan
Encyclopedia
Jansher Khan is a former World No. 1 professional squash
player from Pakistan, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players of all time. During his career he won the World Open a record eight times, and the British Open
six times.
Jansher is of Peshwari ethnicity. He came from a family of outstanding squash players. His brother Mohibullah Khan
was one of the world's leading professional squash players in the 1970s. Another older brother, Atlas Khan, was a highly-rated amateur competitor.
Jansher won the World Junior Squash Championship title in 1986. He also turned professional that year. At the time, the men's professional tour was dominated by another Pakistani player – Jahangir Khan
. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related). At the World Open in 1986, Ross Norman
finally ended an unbeaten run by Jahangir in tournament play which had lasted a staggering five and a half years. But from 1987 onwards, Jahangir would no longer be able to tower over the game in the way he did during the first half of the decade, as Jansher quickly turned men's squash into a sport which now had two powerful dominant players. Jahangir won the pair's first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. Jansher then scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong
Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters. This included a win in the semi-finals of the 1987 World Open, following which Jansher claimed his first World Open title by beating Australia
's Chris Dittmar
in the final.
Jahangir came back strongly in 1988. In March that year he claimed his first win over Jansher since the previous September, and then went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters, including a win in the 1988 World Open final.
The Jansher-Jahangir rivalry would dominate squash in the late-1980s through to the early-1990s. The pair met total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them.
With Jahangir reaching the twilight of his career and then retiring, Jansher came to establish himself as the sole dominant player in the game in the mid-1990s. He won a record total of eight World Open titles, the last being in 1996. He chose not to defend his World Open title in 1997 because the event was held in Malaysia, and he had a pending court order in Malaysia relating to maintenance payments for his son, Kamran Khan, following his separation from his Malaysian wife. Jahangir maintained a stranglehold on the British Open up to 1991 (he won the championship 10 consecutive times), but when he finally relinquished the title it was Jansher who claimed it for the next six successive years.
Jansher officially announced his retirement from squash in 2001. He won a total of 99 professional titles and was ranked the World No. 1 for over six years.
In July 2006, Jansher was in the international headlines again when he was arrested in Pakistan for allegedly forcefully occupying a house over an ownership dispute, and harassing a woman and her family and threatening them with an illegal firearm.
In August 2007, Jansher announced that he was coming out of retirement to play in a Professional Squash Association
tournament in London
in October 2007. He said in a news conference that the reason for his comeback was that, "I feel I am mentally and physically fit to play the international circuit for another three to four years". He lost in the opening round of the event to England's Scott Handley 11–9, 6–11, 6–11 0–11.
In October 2011, It was revealed that Jansher was suffering from Parkinsonism and is currently being treated in Pakistan. )
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, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest squash players of all time. During his career he won the World Open a record eight times, and 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...
six times.
Jansher is of Peshwari ethnicity. He came from a family of outstanding squash players. His brother Mohibullah Khan
Mohibullah Khan
Mohibullah Khan is a former squash player from Pakistan. He was one of the game's leading players in the 1970s, reaching a career-high ranking of World No. 2. He was runner-up at the inaugural World Open in 1975, and at the British Open in 1976, losing on both occasions to Australia's Geoff Hunt.In...
was one of the world's leading professional squash players in the 1970s. Another older brother, Atlas Khan, was a highly-rated amateur competitor.
Jansher won the World Junior Squash Championship title in 1986. He also turned professional that year. At the time, the men's professional tour was dominated by another Pakistani player – Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan
Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times...
. (Jansher is not known to be directly related to Jahangir, but their families originate from the same village in the Peshawar region of northern Pakistan, so they may be distantly related). At the World Open in 1986, Ross Norman
Ross Norman
Ross Norman is a former professional squash player from New Zealand. He is best remembered for winning the World Open in 1986, when he beat Jahangir Khan of Pakistan in the final 9-5, 9-7, 7-9, 9-1. The win marked the end of an unbeaten run for Khan that had stretched for over five years . Norman...
finally ended an unbeaten run by Jahangir in tournament play which had lasted a staggering five and a half years. But from 1987 onwards, Jahangir would no longer be able to tower over the game in the way he did during the first half of the decade, as Jansher quickly turned men's squash into a sport which now had two powerful dominant players. Jahangir won the pair's first few encounters in late-1986 and early-1987. Jansher then scored his first win over Jahangir in September 1987, beating him in straight games in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Open. Jansher then went on to beat Jahangir in their next eight consecutive encounters. This included a win in the semi-finals of the 1987 World Open, following which Jansher claimed his first World Open title by beating Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Chris Dittmar
Chris Dittmar
Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player....
in the final.
Jahangir came back strongly in 1988. In March that year he claimed his first win over Jansher since the previous September, and then went on to win 11 of their next 15 encounters, including a win in the 1988 World Open final.
The Jansher-Jahangir rivalry would dominate squash in the late-1980s through to the early-1990s. The pair met total of 37 times in tournament play. Jansher won 19 matches (74 games and 1,426 points), and Jahangir 18 matches (79 games and 1,459 points). This record doesn't include exhibition matches and league matches between them.
With Jahangir reaching the twilight of his career and then retiring, Jansher came to establish himself as the sole dominant player in the game in the mid-1990s. He won a record total of eight World Open titles, the last being in 1996. He chose not to defend his World Open title in 1997 because the event was held in Malaysia, and he had a pending court order in Malaysia relating to maintenance payments for his son, Kamran Khan, following his separation from his Malaysian wife. Jahangir maintained a stranglehold on the British Open up to 1991 (he won the championship 10 consecutive times), but when he finally relinquished the title it was Jansher who claimed it for the next six successive years.
Jansher officially announced his retirement from squash in 2001. He won a total of 99 professional titles and was ranked the World No. 1 for over six years.
In July 2006, Jansher was in the international headlines again when he was arrested in Pakistan for allegedly forcefully occupying a house over an ownership dispute, and harassing a woman and her family and threatening them with an illegal firearm.
In August 2007, Jansher announced that he was coming out of retirement to play in a Professional Squash Association
Professional Squash Association
The Professional Squash Association is the governing body for the men's professional squash circuit. The body operates in a similar fashion to the ATP for tennis. The PSA World Tour involves over 100 tournaments annually all over the globe...
tournament 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...
in October 2007. He said in a news conference that the reason for his comeback was that, "I feel I am mentally and physically fit to play the international circuit for another three to four years". He lost in the opening round of the event to England's Scott Handley 11–9, 6–11, 6–11 0–11.
In October 2011, It was revealed that Jansher was suffering from Parkinsonism and is currently being treated in Pakistan. )
World Open final appearances
| Wins (8) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1987 | Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player.... |
9–5, 9–4, 4–9, 9–6 |
| 1989 | Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player.... |
7–15, 6–15, 15–4, 15–11, 15–10 |
| 1990 | Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player.... |
15–8, 17–15, 13–15, 15–5 |
| 1992 | Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player.... |
15–11, 15–9, 10–15, 15–6 |
| 1993 | Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times... |
14–15, 15–9, 15–5, 15–5 |
| 1994 | Peter Marshall Peter Marshall (squash player) Peter Marshall is a former professional squash player from England.With his unique double-handed playing style, Marshall finished runner-up to the great Pakistani player Jansher Khan at the World Open in 1994 and the British Open in 1995. When he reached the World No... |
10–15, 15–11, 15–8, 15–4 |
| 1995 | Del Harris Del Harris (squash player) Del Harris is a former professional squash player from England.Harris won the World Junior Squash Championship title in 1988, and went on to become one of the leading players in the men's professional game in the 1990s.... |
15–10, 17–14, 16–17, 15–8 |
| 1996 | Rodney Eyles Rodney Eyles Rodney Eyles is a former professional squash player from Australia. He is best remembered for winning the World Open title in 1997.... |
15–13, 17–15, 11–15, 15–3 |
| Runner-ups (1) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1988 | Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times... |
6–9, 2–9, 2–9 |
British Open final appearances
| Wins (6) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1992 | Chris Robertson | 9–7, 10–9, 9–5 |
| 1993 | Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar Chris Dittmar is an Australian sports commentator who was formerly the World No. 1-ranked men's squash player.... |
9–6, 9–5, 6–9, 9–2 |
| 1994 | Brett Martin Brett Martin Brett Martin is a former professional squash player who was among the game's leading players in the late-1980s and early-1990s. He reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 2 in 1994.... |
9–1, 9–0, 9–10, 9–1 |
| 1995 | Peter Marshall Peter Marshall (squash player) Peter Marshall is a former professional squash player from England.With his unique double-handed playing style, Marshall finished runner-up to the great Pakistani player Jansher Khan at the World Open in 1994 and the British Open in 1995. When he reached the World No... |
15–4, 15–4, 15–5 |
| 1996 | Rodney Eyles Rodney Eyles Rodney Eyles is a former professional squash player from Australia. He is best remembered for winning the World Open title in 1997.... |
15–13, 15–8, 15–10 |
| 1997 | Peter Nicol Peter Nicol Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking... |
17–15, 9–15, 15–12, 8–15, 15–8 |
| Runner-ups (3) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1987 | Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times... |
6–9, 0–9, 5–9 |
| 1991 | Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan Jahangir Khan, HI, is a former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan, who is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the game. During his career he won the World Open six times and the British Open a record ten times... |
9–2, 4–9, 4–9, 0–9 |
| 1998 | Peter Nicol Peter Nicol Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking... |
16–17, 4–15, 5–15 |