KARACHI: Pakistan’s Noor Zaman powered into the final of the inaugural WSF World U23 Squash Championships with a dominant 11-6, 11-2, 11-4 win over Malaysia’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran on Wednesday at Karachi’s DHA Creek Club.
Zaman, the second seed, will face Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey in Thursday’s final, following El Torkey’s thrilling upset over top-seeded Ibrahim Elkabbani. The Egyptian fought back from a game down to clinch victory with a 7-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline in the other semi-final.
Zaman was already 2-0 up when his opponent retired from the match.
“The support from the crowd has been amazing, and I will give everything to win this title for Pakistan,” said Zaman after his victory.
El Torkey’s comeback victory was a major upset, as he recovered from a first-game loss to defeat the tournament favorite Elkabbani.
In the women’s draw, top seed Fayrouz Abouelkheir of Egypt triumphed over Malaysia’s Aira Azman with an 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4 score, setting up a final against Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk. Chan defeated Malaysia’s Xin Ying Yee 11-7, 11-6, 4-11, 7-11, 11-3 in a hard-fought semi-final.
