Sports Bulletin

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: The second seed, Noor Zaman overpowered Nasir Iqbal 3-0 in the final of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) - Serena Hotels International Squash Championship 2024 at Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad on Friday. The final score-line of 11-8, 12-10, and 11-9, as the championship match lasted 27 minutes.The officials of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) were looking satisfied before commencing the final, as the both Pakistan squash lad were on the court for the title. Nasir had ousted top seed Ibrahim Elkabbani from Egypt in the first semifinal and Noor had trounced compatriot Mohammad Ashab Irfan in the second semifinal on Thursday at the same venue.In the first game of the final, Nasir Iqbal earned pivotal 3 points lead at 5-2 after playing some powerful stroke in the starting of the game, however, Noor Zaman succeeded to square the game at 5-5. After leveling the game, Noor kept up his pressure on his rival and made the score 10-5. World No 82 Noor Zaman finished the first game at 11-8 after showing aggression with powerful fore-hand and back-hand drives.Meanwhile, the second game saw a nerve-jangling competition, which was won by Noor Zaman 12-10 on tie-break, as the game went up neck-to-neck. The game score was leveled at 1-1, 2-2, 6-6, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. Both players exhibited top class squash and amused the spectators with their game skills, as the second game was a blend of powerful strokes, classic drop shorts and nicks. Finally, Noor Zaman won the second game at 12-10 to take 2-0 vital lead in the final.In the third game, Noor Zaman took the control of the game in the beginning and marinated the lead at the end of game at 11-9. At one stage game was leveled 2-2, however, champion Noor Zaman kept the score up at 7-4, 8-6, and 10-7. The final score-line was 11-8, 12-10, and 11-9. The final match wasted 27 minutes and final proved unexpectedly one-sided.Air Marshal Shakil Ghazanfar Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Personnel) graced the closing ceremony as a chief guest and presented trophies and souvenirs to the players and officials. Air Marshal Kazim Hammad Senior Vice President PSF, Amjad Ali Gill, Joint Secretary Ministry of IPC, squash Legend Qamar Zaman, VP PSF Adnan Asad, Chief Operating Officer Serena Hotels Peter Martin along with number of players, officials and squash lovers were also present in the ceremony. 

Nasir Iqbal to face second seed Noor Zaman in CAS Squash Championship final on FridaySports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Nasir Iqbal stunned top seed player Ibrahim Elkabbani 3-1 in the first semifinal of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International Squash Championship 2024 here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Thursday. Nasir Iqbal will face compatriot second seed Noor Zaman Khan in final on Friday at the same venue. Noor Zaman defeated Mohammad Ashab Irfan in straight games 3-0 to qualify for the championship title match.Nasir Iqbal displayed top quality squash in the whole match to get-rid-of heavy weight Ibrahim. Nasir, who has a massive support behind him of local squash lovers, hit powerful stroke and classical drop shorts. He was the first game at 11-9 and lost second one at 8-11. However, during the next two game Nasir did not allow Ibrahim to settle on the court and won the both games in similar style 11-4, as the match lasted 48 minutes.Results (Semifinals):Nasir Iqbal (PAK) beat Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) [1] 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4 (48 min)Noor Zaman (PAK) beat Mohammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 (33 min)

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Besides top seed Ibrahim Elkabbani, trio Pakistani players Nasir Iqbal, Mohammad Ashab Irfan, and second seeded Noor Zaman Khan have confirmed their berths in the semifinals of the CAS International Squash Championship 2024 after beating their challengers in quarterfinals here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Wednesday. The semifinals will be played on Thursday at the same venue.Results (Quarterfinals):Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) beat Darren Pragasam (MAS) 17-15, 11-6, 11-5 (29 min)Nasir Iqbal (PAK) beat Seif El Shenawy (EGY) 10-12, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (35 min)Mohammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) beat Rowan Damming (NED) 10-12, 11-2, 11-9, 11-5 (48 min)Noor Zaman Khan (PAK) beat Perry Malik (ENG) 14-12, 5-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7 (54 min)Semi Finals Schedule (21 November, 2024)Match no 1: 1400 Hrs Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) Vs Nasir Iqbal (PAK) Match no 2: 1500 Hrs Noor Zaman (PAK) Vs Mohammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 

Nasir Iqbal, Mohammad Ashab, and Noor Zaman register thrilling triumphs in round-2Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani and five foreign players moved into the quarterfinals of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Squash Championship 2024 after winning their round-2 matches, as Nasir Iqbal, Mohammad Ashab Irfan, and Noor Zaman Khan claimed thrilling victories here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Tuesday. The all quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday at the same venue.Nasir Iqbal toiled hard on the court to get-rid-of Yasin Shodhy from Egypt 3-2 in a well contested five games contest. Nasir won first two game easily after conceding 4 and 8 points respectively, however, he was seen bit relax and lost next two games at 8-11, 8-11. In the decisive game, he concentrated on his game and exhibited top quality squash and win the game and 11-7. The final score-line was 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, as the match lasted 48 minutes.Results (Round-II):Ibrahim Elkabbani (Egy) beat Duncan Lee (Mas) 11-9, 14-12, 13-11 (41 Min)Darren Pragasam (Mas) beat Tayyab Aslam (Pak) 9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (30 Min)Seif El Shenawy (Egy) beat Hafiz Zhafri (Mas) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (24 Min)Nasir Iqbal (Pak) beat Yasin Shodhy (Egy) 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7 (48 Min)Mohammad Ashab Irfan (Pak) beat (WC) Abdullah Nawaz (Pak) 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (45 Min)Rowan Damming (Ned) beat (WC) Farhan Mehboob (Pak) 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 (27 Min)Perry Malik (Eng) beat Ammar Altamimi (Kuw) 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (33 Min)Noor Zaman (Pak) beat Hazem Hossam (Egy) 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9 (38 Min)Wednesday’s Fixtures (Quarterfinals):Ibrahim Elkabbani (Egy) vs Darren Pragsam (Mas) at 12 pmSeif Elshanwy (Egy) vs Nasir Iqbal (Pak) at 1 pmMohammad Ashab Irfan (Pak) vs Rowan Damming (Ned) 2 pmPerry Malik (Eng) vs Noor Zaman (Pak) 3 pm

Tayyab, Abdullah, and Farhan earn wins, Mohammad Ashab, Nasir, and Noor get byeAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Tayyab Aslam, Abdullah Nawaz and Farhan Mehboob registered victories in the first round of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship after overcoming their respective opponents here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Monday. Mohammad Ashab Irfan, Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman Khan got byes in the first rounds of 32-player main draw.The tournament carries a prize of money of US$ 15,000. Apart from 09 Pakistani players, a group of 15 world ranking players from Egypt, England, Hong Kong-China, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia and Netherland are participating. World No 62 Ibrahim Elkabbani from Egypt has been seeded as No 1 along with World No 82 Noor Zaman from Pakistan as Seed No 2.  Results (Day-1): Ibrahim Elkabbani (Egy) Got Bye, Duncan Lee (Mas) beat Wilson Chan (HKG) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (21 Min), Tayyab Aslam (Pak) beat Ahmed Sherif (Egy) 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4 (33 Min), Darren Pragasam (Mas) Got Bye, Seif El Shenawy (Egy) Got Bye, Hafiz Zhafri (Mas) beat (WC) Anas Ali Shah (Pak) 3-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (48 Min), Yasin Shodhy (Egy) beat Heston Malik (Eng) 11-4, 11-7, 11-1 (21 Min), Nasir Iqbal (Pak) Got Bye, Mohammad Ashab Irfan (Pak) Got Bye, (WC) Abdullah Nawaz (Pak) beat Ong Sai Hung (Mas) 11-1, 9-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 (35 Min), (WC) Farhan Mehboob (Pak) beat Aaron Allpress (Irl) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (26 Min), Rowan Damming (Ned) Got Bye, Perry Malik (Eng) Got Bye, Ammar Altamimi (Kuw) beat Mohammad Abdul Qadir (Pak) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (25 Min), Hazem Hossam (Egy) beat Sadam Ul Haq (Pak) 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7 (32 Min), Noor Zaman (Pak) Got Bye.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International Squash Championship 2024, pursing prize money of US$ 15000 will start on November 18 at Mushaf Squash Complex Islamabad under the supervision of Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), as the Vice president PSF Qamar Zaman, Secretary PSF Aamir Nawaz and Director Academies Iran Asgher divulged the detail during a press conference at a local hotel on Thursday.“Pakistan Squash Federation in collaboration with Serena Hotels, is organizing Chief of the Air Staff-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad between 18 - 22 November, 2024. The tournament carries the prize money of US$ 15,000. Apart from 07 Pakistani players, a group of 17 world ranking players from all over the world have also confirmed their entries. They include one each from Belgium, Hong Kong-China, Ireland & Netherland, 02 each from England and Kuwait, 04 from Malaysia and 05 from Egypt. World No 62 Ibrahim Elkabbani from Egypt has been seeded as No 1 along with World No 82 Noor Zaman from Pakistan as Seed No 2. It is expected that the audience would have an opportunity of witnessing some thrilling matches during the tournament, he added.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Egyptian lad, Ibrahim Elkabbanni will be top seed player of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) International Squash Championship, which will be held from November 18 to 22, 2024 at Mushaf Squash Complex in the premises of Pakistan Sports Complex.Secretary, Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Ammir Nawaz told this scribe that players for 8 foreign countries would also participate in the championship. “Local 7 players are in the list of 24 players. Also, 5 from Egypt, 4 from Malaysia, 2 from England, 2 from Kuwait and one each from Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands are among 24 players. Anas Ali Shah, Abdullah Nawaz, and Farhan Mehboob got the wild card entries. Noor Zaman is the second seeded player of CAS Squash Championship 2024, “he added.“Mohammad Ashab Khan, Nasir Iqbal, Tayyab Aslam are also seeding players. Our players are toiling hard under the supervision of coach Fahim Gul and we hope our players will perform up to mark. Tournament is pursuing prize money of US$ 15,000, which will be disbursed according to rules of Professional Squash Association (PSA), “he concluded. 

Pakistan journey ends in quarterfinals of Team Event, Colombia outplay Pakistan 2-1Sports Bulletin ReportHouston, Texas (USA): Pakistan Squash Team ended their journey after losing quarterfinal against a low seeding Colombia 2-1 in the WSF World Junior Team Squash Championship at Houston Squash Club, Texas United States of America (USA) on July 21, 2024. Mohammad Hamza Khan and Mohammad Tayyab lost their matches while Abdullah Nawaz defeated his opponent.In the men’s event, Colombia and Republic of Korea reached the semi-finals for the first time, while in the women’s event Canada achieved a first semi-final since 1987. Team USA also earned a national record medal haul, with the women's and men's team guaranteed at least bronzes after quarter-final wins, to accompany the bronze medal won by Caroline Fouts in the individual event.Colombia went into the team event having fallen short of the high expectations they set for themselves in the individual event last week, with none of their players progressing beyond the round of 16. The South American side have found redemption in the team event, however, earning a quarter-final berth for the first time with a 2-0 win over Kuwait. They went one better, going into the record books with a brilliant display against five-time champions Pakistan.Things started poorly for Colombia as Pakistan edged into the lead thanks to a hotly-contested 3-2 win for Abdullah Nawaz, before Juan Torres came from a game down to beat an out of sorts Hamza Khan to send the tie to a decider. In the crucial match, a stop-start and at times bad-tempered encounter, Jose Santamaria proved to be the hero as he fought back from a game down to beat Mohammad Ammad 4-11, 13-12, 11-8, 12-10.Colombia's coach Martin Knight said afterwards: "I think the emotion out there from the crowd says it all! It was the first time we'd reached the top ten but we weren't content with that. I was fully confident that we could win. As a country, Colombia, we've increased participation, levels and training and we knew coming in that we had a very good team. It didn't go as well as we'd have like in the individual result, but we knew the depth we had and were confident that if we put in a good performance today we'd have every chance."In the women’s draw, Canada returned to the last four for the first time in 37 years thanks to valiant efforts from twins Spring and Ocean Ma. Spring Ma got the 5/6 seeds off to a dream start with a surprisingly routine win over Tsz Ching Cheung, before Ocean Ma dug in to record a bruising 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10 victory to the joy - and tears - of her teammates.The other semi-final will see hosts USA take on Malaysia. USA breezed past England to secure semi-finals for the second year in succession, while Malaysia came through an epic battle with India, with Doyce Lee recovering from 1-2 and 4-9 down in game four to beat Nirupama Dubey 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-3.Results (Women's Quarter-Finals):Egypt beat New Zealand (2-0):Nadien Elhammamy beat Anabel romero Gemmell 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-0Fayrouz Aboelkheir beat Ella Lash 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-5Janna Swaify w/d Ella HillCanada beat Hong Kong, China (2-0):Spring Ma beat Tsz Ching Cheung 3-0: 11-7, 12-10, 11-4Ocean Ma beat Ena Kwong 3-1: 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10Maria Min w/d Helen TangMalaysia beat India (2-1):Whitney Wilson beat Shameena Riaz 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 12-10Thanusaa Uthrian lost to Anahat Singh 2-3: 11-6, 13-15, 6-11, 11-5, 6-11Doyce Lee beat Nirupama Dubey 3-2: 11-7, 7-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-3USA beat England (3=0):Riya Navani beat Mariam Eissa 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-5Caroline Fouts beat Amelie Haworth 3-0: 11-2, 11-9, 11-4Sam Jaffe beat Emily Coulcher-Porter 2-0: 11-9, 11-6Results (Men's Quarter-Finals):USA beat South Africa (2-0):Rishi Srivastava beat Connor Earl 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-4Zane Patel beat Luhann Groenewald 3-1: 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9Alexander Dartnell w/d Devon OsborneRepublic of Korea beat India (2-1):Seojin Oh lost to Yuvraj Wadhwani 2-3: 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11Joo Young Na beat Shaurya Bawa 3-1: 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6Kun Kim beat Arihant KS 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-9Colombia beat Pakistan (2-1):Juan Irisarri lost to Abdullah Nawaz 2-3: 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 7-11Juan Torre beat Hamza Khan 3-1: 11-13, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3Jose Santamaria beat Mohammad Ammad 3-1: 4-11 14-12 11-8 12-10Egypt beat England (2-0):Marwan Assal beat Yusuf Sheikh 3-1: 13-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6Mohamad Zakaria beat AbdAllah Eissa 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-8Marwan Abdelsalam w/d Bailey Malik.

Sports Bulletin ReportHouston (USA): Egypt enjoyed a perfect day in the individual finals of the WSF World Junior Squash Championships in Houston, USA, as Amina Orfi won an unprecedented third consecutive title and Mohamad Zakaria became the youngest ever male champion.Orfi, 17, who won the 2022 edition in France and the 2023 edition in Australia, came into today’s final against compatriot and No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir knowing that a win would not only see her draw level with Egyptian legend Nour El Sherbini’s record haul of three titles, but put her in a class of her own as the only player to win three consecutively.The top seed, who like Aboelkheir went into today’s final in Texas having not dropped a single game, looked edgy early on as Aboelkheir made the brighter start, but eventually settled to take the opener 11-7. The 17-year-old then doubled her lead after a mammoth 23-minute second game, with Orfi seeing four game balls saved before eventually converting. That win put the wind in her sails and, in a fractious third game, she closed out 11-5 to cap a famous victory.Top seed Zakaria, meanwhile, a beaten finalist last year in Melbourne, went into his clash with Republic of Korea’s Joo Young Na as the firm favourite, with the 16-year-old yet to drop a game during an efficient run.[9/16] seed Na, meanwhile, had defied all expectations to become the first ever Korean to reach the final of a World Championship, with his 3-2 win over defending champion Hamza Khan in the quarter-final sending shockwaves through the tournament.Zakaria spoke ahead of the match of the danger presented by Na, and his tactics bore that out as Zakaria played a patient game, attacking only whenever the opportunity presented itself.This plan proved effective, with Na, who played five games in his semi-final and quarter-final, hitting some spectacular shots but failing to consistently hurt Zakaria.After taking the first game 11-6, the top seed moved into a commanding lead with an 11-4 win in game two.Na dug in desperately in game three but could not dislodge Zakaria, with the 16-year-old holding him at arm’s length throughout and, after a tense wait on a video referee decision on match ball, clinched the title with another 11-6 win.That win for Zakaria means he becomes the youngest ever male winner of the championship, eight days younger than previous record holder Jansher Khan in 1986 and 28 days younger than Ramy Ashour, the last 16-year-old to win, in 2004.Result: 2024 WSF World Junior Championship, Women’s Final[1] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [2] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 15-13, 11-5 (48m)Result: WSF World Junior Squash Championships Men’s Final[1] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) bt [9/16] Joo Young Na 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (37m)Medallists: 2024 WSF World Junior ChampionshipGold: Amina Orfi (EGY) and Mohamad Zakaria (EGY)Silver: Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) and Joo Young Na (KOR)Bronze: Caroline Fouts (USA), Nadien Elhammamy (EGY) and Shaurya Bawa (IND), Harith Danial (MAS)

Sports Bulletin ReportHouston, Texas (USA): Korean lad Joo Young Na claimed his second back-to-back upset victory after overcoming Malaysia’s Harith Danial 3-2 to become the first-ever Korean to reach the final of a WSF World Junior Squash Championship.The 17-year-old [9/16] seed, who captured headlines yesterday with a shock win over reigning champion Hamza Khan, looked in trouble when he went 0-2 down to the dominant Danial. The Korean, however, channelled all his mental and physical fortitude after game two, taking full advantage of the ball softening up to begin to hurt the Malaysian.Danial’s conservative and watchful strategy, which had served so well in the opening games, began to unravel as Na built momentum, with the Korean retrieving nearly every ball and looking increasingly confident on the attack as he wiped out Danial’s lead with 11-7 and 11-4 wins before etching his name into the record books with an 11-2 victory in the fifth game.Na is the lowest seeded player to qualify for the men's final since Egypt's Omar Elatmas, who reached the final of the 2014 edition in Windhoek, Namibia as [9/16] seed. "Thank you all so much for always cheering, supporting, and taking interest. I will fight for it tomorrow, too. We will do our best to shine for Korea," Na said afterwards.Na will take on Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria in the final, with the top seed playing a measured game as he beat India’s Shaurya Bawa in straight games to reach the final for a second year in a row. “This year, I was extremely focused because I messed up last year [Zakaria was defeated in last year’s final by Hamza Khan]! I know all my mistakes now and have made significant improvements, but the job is so far from done,” Zakaria said.Zakaria isn’t the only returning finalist, with Amina Orfi’s mission to become the first ever player to win three consecutive titles still alive after a typically efficient win today against compatriot Nadien Elhammamy.Orfi, crowned champion in France in 2022 and Australia in 2023, was in control throughout against the [3/4] seed, wrapping up the match with 11-7, 11-1, 11-6 wins.Afterwards, Orfi said: “I don’t think [playing an Egypt teammate] really affects my play because everyone is different; not all Egyptians play the same and there’s no one characteristic. Sometimes it’s good to have your Egyptian coaches cheering for you, but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference and I’m just looking forward to tomorrow."Facing Orfi tomorrow is another teammate, No.2 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir, who ensured there would be an all-Egyptian final as she ended home hopes with an 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 win over American [3/4] seed Caroline Fouts.After her match, Aboelkheir explained that she felt relieved to have delivered an all-Egyptian final after her loss in the semi-finals last year to Malaysia’s Aira Azman ended an incredible 10-year run of all-Egyptian finals.“I’m really happy this year [that it will be an all-Egyptian final] because last year I broke that 10-year record. I’m glad that I’m starting it again! I’m just trying to start a new record for Egypt,” Aboelkheir said.The 2024 WSF World Junior Squash Championships finals take place tomorrow, 17 July. Play begins at 13:30 (GMT-5) with the women's final, followed by the men's final at 14:30. Head to WORLDSQUASH.TV to watch all the action live and free.Results: 2024 WSF World Junior Championships, Women’s Semi-Finals[1] Amina Orfi (EGY) bt [3/4] Nadien Elhammamy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-1, 11-6 (35m)[2] Fayrouz Aboelkheir (EGY) bt [3/4] Caroline Fouts (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (26m)Results: 2024 WSF World Junior Championships, Men’s Semi-Finals[1] Mohamad Zakaria bt Shaurya Bawa (IND) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (41m)[9/16] Jooyoung Na (KOR) bt [9/16] Harith Danial (MAS) 3-2: 8-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 (59m)