Pakistan’s Noor Zaman has surged into the final of the inaugural WSF World U23 Squash Championships with a commanding 11-6, 11-2, 11-4 victory over Malaysia’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran on Wednesday at Karachi’s DHA Creek Club.
The second-seeded Zaman is set to face Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey in Thursday’s final after El Torkey caused an upset by defeating top-seeded fellow Egyptian Ibrahim Elkabbani 7-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-5 in their semi-final match.
Zaman had already secured a two-game lead when his opponent retired from the match.
“The crowd support has been incredible, and I’ll give everything I have to win this title for Pakistan,” said Noor Zaman after his semi-final victory.
El Torkey’s comeback win marked a significant upset, as the Egyptian player recovered from losing the first game to overcome the tournament favorite, Elkabbani.
In the women’s draw, top seed Fayrouz Abouelkheir of Egypt defeated Malaysia’s Aira Azman 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, setting up a final clash against Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk. Chan Sin Yuk overcame Malaysia’s Xin Ying Yee 11-7, 11-6, 4-11, 7-11, 11-3 in their semi-final.
