Noor Zaman | Pakistan

Noor Zaman staged a stunning 3-2 victory over compatriot Hamza Khan to retain his title at the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Serena Hotel International Squash Championship in a battle of the junior world champions. Hamza dominated the first two sets 11-9, 11-7 before second seed Noor flipped the script and took the next three games 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 to win the final and retain his title at the Mushaf Squash Complex on Friday. Noor kept his cool as he began his comeback in the third game before demolishing Hamza in the fourth. The final remained relatively smooth-sailing as both players accepted the referee’s rulings and kept arguments to a minimum. Noor dominated the fifth set with a massive 6-1 lead over Hamza before he scored another point, only for Noor to switch gears and take the score to 9-2. Hamza was inching his way back to victory at 8-10 when Noor won the game and match, dropping his racket and throwing his hands in the air in celebration. The two embraced in a long hug and exchanged words before walking ...

CHENGDU: Noor Zaman’s hopes of a World Games squash medal were quashed after he was on the losing end of a thrilling five-game battle on Saturday, while Nasir Iqbal kept his hopes alive in the plate event. Pitted against Colombian world number 21 Miguel Rodriguez in the last-16 stage, Noor managed to come from 2-1 down to force a deciding game but was ultimately overpowered. “Noor played with heart, but Rodriguez’s experience made the difference in crucial moments,” said Pakistan coach Fahim Gul, with the team making its debut at the Games. “This is a learning curve for him and hell come back stronger.” Noor made a fast start, taking the first game 11-2 in just six minutes but Rodriguez grew into the contest, taking the next two games 11-7 and 11-9. Noor hit back in the fourth game, taking it 13-11 before Rodriguez clinched the decisive fifth game 11-6. He will now have to contend with the special plate event with a quarter-final against Egyptian Mohammad Nasser on Sunday. Nasir advanced to the quarter-finals...

Pakistani squash ace Noor Zaman clinched the final spot in the main draw of the prestigious British Open underway in Birmingham after beating Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey 3-1. The duo had met a month earlier, where Zaman’s 3-2 win over El Torkey saw him being crowned U23 World Champion on home turf in a thrilling comeback. Yesterday, 44th ranked Zaman defeated the Egyptian 11-5, 11-8, 3-11, 11-7 in a 46-minute game at the Solihull Arden Club in Birmingham. “Alhamdulillah, after a 20-year gap, I have qualified for the Main Round of the British Open. I am the first Pakistani to achieve this milestone,” Zaman said in a post on X. “Zaman found his range at the front and back of the court early in the fixture and looked focused as he took a commanding 2-0 lead,” according to a press release by the British Open. “The Egyptian responded by taking the third game 11-3, firing the ball in short and capitalising on Zaman errors. In a competitive fourth, there was noting to separate the two as the score reached 5-5, Zaman es...