With the quarter-finalists spotted, top seeds James Willstrop and Peter Barker -- the best players on view so far -- are heading for a clash in the final of the 12th World Junior men's squash championship, now in progress in Chennai.
The lone Indian left in the fray, Siddharth Suchde also bit the dust, going down tamely to second seed Barker 9-4, 9-4, 9-1.
Willstrop, from Pontefract in Yorkshire and a semi-finalist in the 2000 championship in Milan, is the reigning British junior national champion. True to his status in the world as a 40th ranked player, he was classy in all departments of the game as he wore down Shah Nawaz of Pakistan at 9-6, 9-3, 9-0 to enter the last eight stage.
He will play Safeerulah Khan, seeded 9 to 16, in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Khan created the lone upset in the fourth round, scalping the fifth seed, Dylan Bennet of the Netherlands at 9-6 9-7 9-3.
Bennet was down 1-3 in the first game but went on to lead 5-4 and 6-5. Khan made a few unbelievable returns and
earned four points in a row on a single serve.
The second game was a neck and neck affair till 6-all, but Khan showed better control to claim the game in 14 minutes.
The Dutchman threw in the towel in the third game.
Interestingly Pakistan, a nation fighting to re-establish itself in the sport since the golden era of Jehangir Khan and Jansher Khan, is the only country to have four of the five players in the last eight stages headed by fourth seeded
Majid Khan, Safeerullah Khan and Khyal Muhammad (9 to 16) and Khalid Atlas.
In the quarter-finals, Barker plays Atlas, Majid takes on Jhie Gough (Aus) and Khayal Muhammad crosses swords with Galvez (Mexico).
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