Sports Bulletin

Egyptain lad Salman Khalil overcomes Nasir Iqbal 3-0 in final to lift the titleKarachi (Ali Usman): Egypt's Salman Khalil won the PN Fleet Club Open International Squash Championship by defeating Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal in straight games 3-0 here on Tuesday.In the final held at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex under the auspices of the Sindh Squash Association, Egypt's third-seeded Salman Khalil defeated Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal in straight games. Salman Khalil won with scores of 14-12, 11-3, and 13-11. Commander Karachi, Vice Admiral Faisal Amin (Hilal-e-Imtiaz), was the chief guest at the final, which was also attended by squash legend Jahangir Khan and former Governor Moinuddin Haider. The championship carried a total prize purse of $41,000.The chief guest, Commander Karachi (Pakistan Navy) Vice Admiral Faisal Amin, remarked that the hosting of the PN Fleet Club Open International Squash Championship is a welcome development and affirmed that the Pakistan Navy would continue to patronize sports. Adnan Asad, President of the Sindh Squash Association, outlined details regarding upcoming squash competitions, noting that plans are underway to organize several tournaments offering substantial prize money in the near future; he emphasized that it is now up to the players to work hard and achieve success. Former world champion Jahangir Khan expressed his desire to see Pakistani players qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics and win gold medals, adding that to emulate legends like himself and Jansher Khan, players must focus solely on the sport and hard work.

Karachi (Ali Usman): Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal has qualified for the final of the PN Fleet Club Open International Squash Championship.In the semi-finals, Egypt's Yassin Elshafei was defeated in straight games, while Asim Khan was beaten by the Egyptian player Salman Khalil. The international squash tournament, organized by the Sindh Squash Association at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, is nearing its conclusion. Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal delivered a magnificent performance against Egypt's Yassin Elshafei; he completely dominated his opponent, securing victory in just twenty-four minutes.Nasir Iqbal won with a score of 11-5, 11-7, and 11-5. Earlier, Egypt's Salman Khalil defeated Pakistan's Asim Khan by three games to one; Khalil secured the victory with game scores of 7-11, 5-11, 11-7, and 5-11. The final of this event, which carries a prize purse of $41,000, will be played on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.

Asim upsets top seed Noor Zaman, Nasir Iqbal defeats Hamza KhanIslamabad: (Sports Report): Pakistan's Asim Khan secured a place in the semi-finals by upsetting top seed and compatriot Noor Zaman, winning three games to one. Nasir Iqbal also qualified for the semi-finals after defeating Hamza Khan.At the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, Asim Khan staged a magnificent comeback after losing the first game, going on to win the next three. Top seed Noor Zaman retired from the match due to injury towards the end of the fourth game. The game scores were 11-9, 9-11, 1-11, and 3-11. Speaking after his victory, Asim Khan stated that his goal was to play well, an objective he successfully achieved. He added that having upset the top seed, he would now aim to maintain his winning momentum in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal defeated Hamza Khan 3-2 in a thrilling contest; the scores were 5-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, and 8-11.Egypt's Salman Khalil defeated Mohamed Naseer 3-0 in the Street Games, while his compatriot Yassin Elshafei secured a 3-2 victory over Ali Tolba.Asim Khan will face Salman Khalil in the first semi-final on Monday, and Nasir Iqbal will take on Yassin Elshafei in the second. The final of the event, which carries a prize purse of $41,000, will be played on Tuesday.

Alfie MuliganEgypt continued to showcase their dominance by retaining both the men's and women's World Squash Junior Team Championship titles after securing victories over Malaysia and the USA.The World Squash Junior Championships bring together the world's best under-19 squash players, with the men's and women's individual championships having taken place from July 20–25 and the men's and women's team championships being contested from July 26–31.In the opening tie of the day at White Oaks Resort & Spa, Egypt's women's team claimed their 13th World Squash Junior Team Championship title with a commanding 2-0 victory over No.4 seeds Malaysia.With the finals played in a 1-3-2 string order, Egypt made a tactical adjustment by promoting Malika Elkaraksy to first string in place of Ruqayya Salem.Targeting an 11th consecutive women's team title, Elkaraksy made the perfect start, racing into a 2-0 lead over Malaysia's Whitney Wilson after taking the opening two games 11-7, 11-5.The momentum shifted in the third game as Wilson threatened to force a fourth after building a 10-9 lead. However, Elkaraksy showed her composure by saving the game ball before reeling off the next three points to seal a 12-10 victory.With Egypt one win away from retaining the title, 16-year-old Habiba Rizk stepped onto court to face Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee.After Lee's gruelling five-game semi-final against Hong Kong, China's Tsz Ching Cheung, she struggled to find her rhythm as Rizk quickly established control.With all the momentum in Egypt's favour, Rizk wrapped up the title with an emphatic 11-2, 11-3, 11-3 victory."I'm really grateful to win this title for Egypt for the 13th time with my amazing team," said Habiba Rizk.“I want to thank the Egyptian Federation and the coaches who helped us reach the final. I also want to thank my family and my coaches back home."I'm really grateful to win this title again with this amazing team."After claiming the opening match, Malika Elkaraksy added: “I’m really happy to win this title with this amazing team. Winning it for the 13th time means everything.“All thanks to the national team, the coaches and family. I’m so happy.”Meanwhile, in the men's final, Egypt claimed a historic ninth World Squash Junior Team Championship title with a convincing 2-0 victory over No.2 seeds USA.Mohamad Zakaria set the tone in the opening match with a straight-games victory over USA's Yaseen Shalaby.Having been pushed to his limits by France's Amir Khaled-Jousselin in yesterday's semi-final, Zakaria ensured there would be no repeat, taking the opening two games 11-5, 11-6.The reigning World Junior Individual champion continued to showcase his class in the third, closing out the match 11-4.The victory meant World No.7 Zakaria completed the last 33 matches of his World Junior career without dropping a single game, a streak stretching back to his defeat to Pakistan's Hamza Khan in the 2023.With Egypt leading 1-0, No.3 string Seifeldin Refaay faced USA's Brendan Tagliarini in the second match of the tie.In what proved to be the title-clinching contest, Refaay made the stronger start, taking the opening game 11-3.From there, the momentum remained firmly with the Egyptian, who doubled his advantage with an 11-5 second game to move his team to the brink of the title.Refaay maintained his dominance in the third, sealing it 11-3 to secure Egypt's third consecutive men's World Squash Junior Team Championship.Zakaria said:“It feels amazing and to close it out like this with such a powerful team like these three guys, it’s amazing.“They’re the best juniors in the world, their level is very high and they are pro players and I think the level was just too far for the rest of the competition.“I want to thank the coaches and physios and everyone who stood by us. I feel like we did a really good job and to close it out like this is probably how I imagined how I would go out after my junior career.”Refaay added: "I'm very happy to be here at the World Juniors, especially in the team event. In the individuals you're only playing for yourself, but in the teams we're playing as one, representing the flag of Egypt."We're so happy to win this event, and all the credit goes to the Egyptian Federation and our coaches"They've been there for us every step of the way. I'm very grateful to be here today."

Pakistan's Hamza Khan and Nasir Iqbal Win First-Round MatchesKarachi (Sports Reporter): Matches for the Pakistan Navy Fleet Club Open International Squash Championship have commenced in Karachi. Pakistan's Hamza Khan secured a spot in the pre-quarterfinals by defeating USA's Shahjahan Khan, while Nasir Iqbal defeated Switzerland's Loic Hafiz.Matches kicked off on the opening day of the championship, organized by the Sindh Squash Association, at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan-Jahangir Khan Squash Complex. Former World Junior Champion Hamza Khan began his campaign with a victory, defeating USA's Shahjahan in straight games. Hamza outclassed his opponent in just 27 minutes, winning 11-6, 11-9, and 11-4. Nasir Iqbal secured a spot in the pre-quarterfinals by defeating Switzerland's Loic Hafner in straight games. Meanwhile, Pakistan's wildcard entrant Anas Khan suffered a 3-2 defeat against Hong Kong's Matthew Lai despite putting up stiff resistance; the game scores were 2-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, and 11-6.In another match, Egypt's Hafez Abdullah defeated Pakistan's Abdul Saeed in straight games. In other matches, Egypt's Tolba Ali overcame his compatriot Duncan. Brazil's Gobi Diego secured a victory against Japan's Endo Tomotaka. Malaysia's Siu Xian easily defeated Egypt's Labib Khaled 3-0, while Japan's Hashimi Naoki claimed victory over Egypt's Saif Tamer.

Islamabad (Sports Desk): Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria and India’s Anahat Singh have been crowned the 2026 World Squash Junior Champions after recording victories over compatriots Adam Hawal and Ruqayya Salem at White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake.The pair produced dominant performances throughout the tournament, with both writing their names into the history books.Zakaria became the first men's player ever to win the World Junior title three times, while Singh became the first Indian player to lift the prestigious trophy.Already ranked World No.7, Zakaria has quickly established himself as one of squash's brightest young stars, having become the youngest-ever men's World Junior champion at just 16 years old in 2024.His performance in the final underlined why he entered the match as a two-time World Junior champion, producing another commanding display to defeat No.2 seed Adam Hawal in straight games.From the outset, it was clear Zakaria would have to work hard to overcome his compatriot, with long and intense rallies a constant throughout the opening game. Nonetheless, the No.1 seed overcame these challenges, producing some high-quality squash to take the opener 11-4.After claiming the opener, the second game proved far more competitive, with Hawal refusing to give the World No.7 any space on court as the pair battled into a tie-break. However, Hawal was unable to capitalise on his opportunities as Zakaria swung the momentum back in his favour to edge the second game 12-10.With Hawal's best chance of getting back into the match slipping away in the second, the momentum remained firmly with the top seed.Despite play being halted after Zakaria was accidentally struck on the chin by Hawal's racket, the Egyptian quickly regained his composure and sealed the title by taking the third game 11-4."Winning this tournament three times in a row without dropping a game is a huge thing," Zakaria said after the match."Adam played an amazing final. He pushed very hard and is a force to be reckoned with on the Tour. He made it very tough and I'm glad I won it in three, so I'm over the moon."Zakaria continued: "I've always thought of myself as the best junior ever to play, and now I've basically stated that. I'm happy that I was able to back up my words with my actions and make sure I got it done."In the women's final, India's Anahat Singh became the first Indian player to win the World Junior title, following a straight-games victory over Egypt's No.2 seed Ruqayya Salem.Singh, a former quarter-finalist and semi-finalist at the event, enjoyed an impressive run throughout the tournament, recording a string of victories to become the first Indian to reach the World Junior final since Joshna Chinappa in 2005.With the chance to secure a historic title, Singh made a fast start to the final, taking control of the match as she claimed the opening game 11-3.Having taken the opener, the match appeared to be moving in only one direction as Singh found her rhythm, building a commanding lead over her opponent to take the second game 11-7.However, despite leading by two games, the third initially threatened to swing in Salem's favour as the Egyptian moved into an 8-6 lead.With the pressure mounting and a fourth—and potentially fifth—game looming, the Indian No.1 clawed her way back to seal the third game 11-9 and secure a historic victory."I still feel like I'm dreaming!" Singh said after the final.She continued: "This tournament has been the worst tournament for me. I've been losing in the semis and quarters over the last four years. I've always said, if anyone's asked, 'This tournament's a curse,' and I've never been able to play well in the event."This is my last year [as a junior] and my only chance to win it. It means the world."So, I knew if I'm stressed, I play terribly, so I just came out on court and hit my lines well. It's always tough with her and I wanted to enjoy every moment of getting to play in a world championship final."

Canada (Sports News): Pakistan players have made a strong start in the Men’s - Boys Individual Event at the World Squash Junior Individual Championships 2026 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.Results (Round of 128):Nauman Khan [PAK] bt Vihan Chathury [NZL] 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-3)Yahya Khan [PAK] bt Morris Frey [SUI] 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-5)Mohammad Umair Arif [PAK] [25/32] bt Matheesha Wijesekara [SRI] W/O

Sportd Bulletin ReportToronto (Canada): Pakistani four players and two officials arrived here to participate in the WSF World Juniors Squash Championship 2026.At the airport, local Pakistan community including Raja Naeem welcomed the Green Shirts, a passionate squash lover and proud supporter of Pakistan squash.The Pakistan Junior Squash Team consisted of Abdullah Nawan, Nauman Khan, Umair Arif and Yahya Khan while Fahim Gul and Mansoor Zaman travelling with team to perform the duties of coach and manager respectively.The championship will be be held from 20 July to 31 July 2026, featuring both the Individual and Team events.

Abdullah Nawaz, Nauman Khan, Mohammad Umair Arif, Yahya Khan to represent PakistanAbdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD: The World Squash Junior Individual and Team Championships will kick off on July 20, 2026 at the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, as the under-19 players from 24 nations will fight for the titles. Abdullah Nawaz, Nauman Khan, Mohammad Umair Arif and Yahya Khan will represent Pakistan in the prestigious squash fixture of the world.The 12-day championships will see 40 teams compete across 24 nations, with the men’s and women’s events held concurrently following the tournament change in 2024. In the men’s event, 24 teams are set to compete, with two additional teams participating in this championship from last year in Cairo, Egypt.In the women’s competition, there will also be 16 teams that feature, with the same number of participating federations as the 2025 championships. 16 federations will send both a men’s and women’s team, including hosts Canada and defending men’s and women’s champions Egypt.Nigeria’s women will make their event debut, while their men’s team will compete for the first time since 1996. Other federations returning after a long absence include Mexico, who have a men’s team competing for the first time since 2010, and the Netherlands, who will return to the men’s team championship for the first time since 2022.Names of participating countries (24):Australia (Both), Brazil (Both), Canada (Both), Chinese Taipei (Both), Egypt (Both), England (Both), France (Men’s), Germany (Men’s), Hong Kong, China (Both), India (Both), Ireland (Both), Japan (Both), Kuwait (Men’s), Macau, China (Both), Malaysia (Both), Mexico (Men’s), Netherlands (Men’s), New Zealand (Both), Nigeria (Both), Pakistan (Men’s), South Africa (Both), Scotland (Men’s), Switzerland (Men’s), USA (Both)A total of 185 players aged 18 and under are set to compete in both the men’s and women’s draws. Among the star names confirmed for this year’s World Juniors is World No.7 and two-time World Junior Champion Mohamad Zakaria, who will be looking to make history and become the first ever player to claim a historic third Men’s title.India’s No.1 Anahat Singh will also be looking to claim her first World Junior Women’s Championship, with the World No.20 hoping to go one step further after being eliminated in the 2025 semi-finals.Joining the two high-ranked stars will be France’s European U19 Champion Amir Khaled-Jousselin, Hong Kong, China’s Asian U19 Champion Helen Tang, Pan Am Junior Champion Fiorella Gatti and Australia’s Oceania U19 Champion Sarbani Maitra.Names of players:Australia: Kasper Cheung (M), Stanley Chung (M), Ethan Middleton (M), Henry Kross (M), Joanne Joseph (F), Sarbani Maitra (F), Tina Ma (F), Lilly Wilson (F)Austria: Kristina Begeba (F)Barbados: Daniel Sealy (M)Belgium: Maddox Moxham (M), Corentin Boniver (M), Savannah Moxham (F), Alice Allard (F)Brazil: Viggo Hendricks (M), Owen Hendricks (M), Matheus Frabetti (M), Bernardo Jorge Guimarães (M), Laura Souza Bezerra da Silva (F), Giulia Colleoni (F), Alix Borges (F), Sara Guerra Barboza (F)Canada: Colten McLaughlin (M), Calder Murray (M), Yusuf Matti Alvarez (M), Anderson Brown (M), Wing Kai Gladys Ho (F), Joelle Kim (F), Sasha Lee (F), Veera Dhaliwal (F)Colombia: Maria Gomez (F), Maria Camila Sabogal (F)Chinese Taipei: Pan Hong-Rui (M), Shao Hung Peng (M), Youan Lee (M), Shao-Chien Peng (M), Cordelia Wan-Ya Hsu (F), Yeuk Hei Hebe Chan (F), Yu-Chia Wu (F), Wei-Yu Pan (F)Egypt: Mohamad Zakaria (M), Marwan Assal (M), Seifeldin Refaay (M), Adam Hawal (M), Malika Elkaraksy (F), Ruqayya Salem (F), Barb Sameh (F), Habiba Rizk (F)England: Dylan Roberts (M), Ronnie Hickling (M), Ismail Khalil (M), Gabriel Chak (M), Eve Parkins (F), Emily Coulcher-Porter (F), Reka Kemecsei (F), Harriet Broadbridge (F)France: Amir Khaled-Jousselin (M), Théo Baudry (M), Kousha Moslehi (M), Leo Gailland (M), Leelou Laporte (F)Germany: Levi Visser (M), Oleksii Bielikov (M), Owen Hecker (M), Alessio Fumagalli (M)Hong Kong, China: Long Hin Larry Wong (M), Ting To Brogan Cheng (M), Pak To Lau (M), Chun Hin Ho (M), Tsz Ching Cheung (F), Helen Tang (F), Ena Kwong (F), Pui Yin Chloe Lo (F)India: Aryaveer Dewan (M), Yusha Nafees (M), Gurveer Singh (M), Purav Rambhia (M), Anahat Singh (F), Rudra Singh (F), Anika Dubey (F), Saanvi Kalanki (F)Indonesia: Mohammad Razka Idhmi Sulaeman (M)Ireland: Aaron Knox (M), Conal Jackson (M), Christian Dromgoole (M), Tyler Dromgoole (M), Rebecca Jackson (F), Shriya Drawid (F), Zoe Yeomans (F)Japan: Ren Makino (M), Shunsaku Kariyazono (M), Shu Takahashi (M), Haruto Mori (M), Anna Kuwahara (F), Himari Midorikawa (F), Emily Senior (F), Rio Yoshino (F)Kuwait: Khaled Walead Al Fouzain (M), Abdullah Ali (M), Abdul Rahman Al Sanea (M), Abdulrahman Alkandari (M), Macau, China: Keng In Leong (M), Ka Hei Lei (M), Ian Miguel De Sousa (M), Wu Cheok Io (M), Sierra Chi Cheng Cao (F), Ianna Chi Ian Cao (F), Lok Iong Huang (F)Malaysia: Nickhileswar Moganasundharam (M), Aqil Mirza Naim Khairil Fariz (M), Altamis A Sufian (M), Ivan Jia Yu Chang (M), Harleein Tan (F), Whitney Wilson (F), Doyce Ye San Lee (F), Haneesha Veerakumar (F)Mexico: Luis Marcos Méndez Lara (M), Carlos Sebastian Buenrostro-Orozco (M), Juan Pablo Ramirez Valencia (M), Alexis Sebastián Martín Rosas (M), Gabriela Valentina Buenrostro-Orozco (F)Netherlands: Quinten Van Es (M), Yago Daniel Origel Koers (M), Jesper Hempenius (M), Freek Bonnema (M), Renske Huntelaar (F), Elcke Mols (F)New Zealand: Maximus Mathews (M), Vihan Chathury (M), Ciaran Manning (M), Jack Lord (M), Amalia Ricketts (F), Brooke Valois (F), Liberty Jones (F), Charlee Neilson (F)Nigeria: Yusuf Quadri (M), Shuaib Giwa (M), Joshua Daniel (M), Monday Benjamin (M), Mosturah Durosinlorun (F), Awawu Balogun (F), Delight Allison (F), Khadija Abdulraheem (F)Pakistan: Abdullah Nawaz (M), Nauman Khan (M), Mohammad Umair Arif (M), Yahya Khan (M)Paraguay: Fiorella Gatti (F)Peru: Carlos Torres (M), Amaro Castillo (M)Portugal: Sophia Akbar (F), Kiara Fernandes (F)Saudi Arabia: Mohammed Alnasfan (M), Hassan Aldawood (M)Scotland: Murdo Mackenzie (M), Cailean McAlpine (M), John Green (M), Zack Paton (M), Ella Bannister (F)South Africa: Juan-Corné Brand (M), Joseph Feast (M), Benjamin Newman (M), Dylan Keswell (M), Starla Phillips (F), Brianna Robinson (F), Makayla Naidoo (F), Vivienne van der Schyff (F)Spain: Oriol Salvia Ripoll (M)Sri Lanka: Matheesha Wijesekara (M)St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Jayden George (M)Sweden Rasmus Taube Eliasson (M), Ivar Sawen (M)Switzerland: Nick Melvin Greter (M), Leandro Vogel (M), Mika Von Aesch (M), Morris Frey (M)USA: Yaseen Shalaby (M), Brendan Tagliarini (M), Aiden Chiang (M), Lars Gertsen (M), Diya Yadav (F), Charlotte Sze (F), Lily Bourell (F), Ava Lin (F)Wales: Nia Seren Thomas (F).

Phildalpiha (Sports News): Korea’s Jihyun Lee edged past Ecuador’s Maria Moya in a gripping five-game battle, in the K2 Squash PSA Women’s Challenger 6K Championship 2026, presented by One World Squash, got underway in impressive fashion at K2 Squash Club, signalling another milestone for the venue as it hosts its second international tournament and its first-ever women’s international squash championship.The tournament has attracted players from 13 countries, underlining its growing global stature and the increasing prominence of women’s squash on the international stage. A total of eight matches were contested on the opening day, showcasing a high standard of play, intensity, and competitive spirit. Players delivered commanding performances, reflecting both technical excellence and physical endurance.The standout encounter of the day saw Korea’s Jihyun Lee edged past Ecuador’s Maria Moya in a gripping five-game battle, the longest match of the round, lasting 51 minutes. Jihyun won the epic encounter by 3–2 (18–20, 11–9, 12–10, 6–11, 11–3) in 51 minutes. While Allie Stoddard (USA) [9/16] beat Busayo Olatunji (NGR) 3–0 (11–8, 11–4, 11–1) – 23 mins, Elisabeth Ross (USA) beat Jiya Naik (USA) 3–0 (11–4, 11–2, 11–4) – 18 mins, Rose Lucas Marcuzzo (FRA) [9/16] beat Alysa Ali (USA) 3–2 (11–6, 11–5, 8–11, 6–11, 11–9) – 41 mins.In other first round matches, Wen Li Lai (MAS) [9/16] beat Eva Maheshwari (USA) 3–0 (11–3, 11–6, 11–5) – 18 mins, Bo Ram Ryoo (KOR) [9/16] beat Sameera Shahid (PAK) 3–0 (11–7, 11–6, 11–5) – 23 mins, Gabriella Csokási (HUN) [9/16] beat Nicole Friedman (USA) 3–0 (11–5, 11–4, 11–5) – 21 mins, Franka Vidović (CRO) beat Laila Tantawy (EGY) [9/16] 3–0 (11–0, 11–2, 11–0) – 17 mins. Tournament Director Mohammad Naveed Alam expressed his satisfaction with the level of competition and the successful start to the event. “All matches were played at a very good level, and we witnessed strong performances from the players. We are proud to host our second international event and our first women’s championship at K2 Squash Club, with participation from 13 countries,” he added.