ISLAMABAD: Noor Zaman, Nasir Iqbal and Mohammad Asim Khan ensured Pakistan will have three semi-finalists at the CAS-Serena Hotels Inter­national Squash Championships after the trio won their last-eight clashes in contrasting fashion on Saturday.

The young Noor overcame Mohamed Nasser 11-9, 1-11, 11-5, 11-2, only blinking in the second game of the 38-minute contest against the Egyptian, while Nasir came from a game down against Ammad Fareed to win 7-11, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4 in the same time.

Asim won in straight games against Egypt’s Khalid Labib but it was a close battle that lasted 44 minutes with the local hope prevailing 11-9, 11-8, 12-10. Labib’s compatriot Ibrahim Elkabbani eased past Ong Sai Hung of Malaysia 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 in the first quarter-final.

All four semi-finalists in the women’s event, however, will be from Egypt with Nadien Elhammamy, Nour Ramy, Amina El Rihany and Nour Khafagy all winning on the day.

Elhammamy was made to work by Malaysia’s Chan Yiwen before the won a gruelling 50-minute match 12-10, 3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-1 while Ramy cruised past Sana Bahadur, the only local player in the final eight, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 in a quarter of an hour.

El Rihany downed compatriot Malak Samir 11-4, 11-4, 13-11 and Khafagy beat Wong Po Yui Kirstie of Hong Kong 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5 with both those clashes finishing just under half an hour.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2023