Ahsan Ayaz cruises into International Squash Championship final

KARACHI: Pakistani squash player Ahsan Ayaz swept past Egypt's Karim Elbarbary  to qualify for the 247 International Squash Championship final, which is taking place in the US.

After an astounding performance in the semifinals, Ayaz defeated Elbarbary of Egypt by a clear score of 3-0. The scores were 11-3, 11-7, and 11-0.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, the 25-year-old also overcame his compatriot Fawad Khalil, winning with scores of 11-7, 11-5, and 11-5.

In the final, the second-seeded Pakistani player will face Egypt's third-seeded Mohamed Sharaf on September 15. The 247 International Squash Championship offers a total prize pool of $3,000.

This will be Ayaz’s consecutive international titles, if won, as he clinched Colleyville Open Squash 2024 on September 1. The Pakistani player had defeated India’s Yash Bhargava by 3-1.

The Colleyville Tournament also had total prize money of $3,000.

Ahead of the semi-final clash, Ayaz had expressed excitement on Saturday.

He wrote on his X account: “Excited to have made it to the Semi-Final of the 247 International Squash Championship 2024 in NJ, USA. Looking forward to facing Karim Elbarbary of Egypt today at 4PM EST.”