Sports Club in Harare at the weekend.
Mubure, who returned to Zimbabwe on July 1 after spending three months playing professional squash in the Netherlands, beat his local arch-rival Admire Magwaza 3-0 in an exciting final on Saturday night.
The top-ranked player took the first set 11-8 before moving a gear up in the second, winning it 11-6.
Mubure then wrapped up the match in the third set, which he won 11-9, and with it the Mashonaland Open title.
The 24-year-old player saluted Magwaza for giving him “a good run” during Saturday night’s final.
“Admire was really up to it as he was fighting for every point and I tell you, I really had to sweat to beat him despite winning the match in straight sets.
“All in all, it was a good tournament and it’s a really good feeling to announce my return from overseas with a victory in my first tournament at home after my three-month stay in the Netherlands,” Mubure said.
Next stop for Mubure is the three-day Zimbabwe Open tournament, which starts on Friday at the Suburban Squash Club in Bulawayo.
“Winning the Mashonaland Open puts me in good stead ahead of the Zimbabwe Open where competition will be much stiffer because all the top squash players from this country will be there but I’m quite confident that I will emerge triumphant again in Bulawayo next weekend,” Mubure said.
To reach the final of the Mashonaland Open, Mubure first beat Blessing Muhwati 3-0 in the quarter-finals to book a place in the last four against Ahmed Hassan whom he dispatched 3-1 (11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7) to reach the final.
Magwaza, on the other hand, beat Faisal Hassan 3-0 in the quarter-finals before stopping Malvin Mubure by an identical scoreline in the semi-finals, winning 11-8, 11-9, 12-10.
But Magwaza met his match in Ishmael Mubure in the final in which he produced some good fighting spirit but he just could not stop the top seed from spoiling his day and running away with the title.
The Mashonaland Open had a draw of 16 but it did not include one of the country’s top players, Murray Martin, who pulled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
All the players who took part in the Mashonaland Open are expected to travel to Bulawayo for this coming weekend’s Zimbabwe Open at the Suburban Squash Club.

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