Clinical Noor Zaman books place in Nash Cup final

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Noor Zaman stormed into the final of the Nash Cup squash tournament in Canada on Saturday, while compatriot Ashab Irfan fell short in the semifinals.

Zaman, seeded fifth, outclassed seventh seed Matias Knudsen of Colombia in straight games, 11-3, 12-10, 11-3, wrapping up the contest in just 28 minutes.

The 21-year-old Pakistani controlled the rallies from the start, withstanding pressure in the second game before racing through the third to seal a commanding victory.

However, Pakistan’s other semifinalist, Ashab Irfan, could not match his compatriot’s success. The number eight seed lost 3-1 to second seed Moustafa Elsirty of Egypt, who prevailed 11-5, 11-3, 5-11, 11-2 in 44 minutes.

The two Pakistani squash players, Ashab and Zaman, secured a spot in the semifinal after beating the Indian Veer Chotrani and Colombian Ronald Palomino, respectively.

Pakistan’s Ashab Irfan delivered one of the standout performances of the Nash Cup Squash tournament on Friday, pulling off a dramatic comeback to knock out India's Veer Chotrani and secure a place in the semifinals.

Ashab looked in trouble early as Chotrani, the number four seed, took control of the match with a 9-11, 4-11 start. But the 21-year-old Pakistani regrouped impressively to make a comeback after going 2-sets down, using aggressive shot-making and sharp retrievals to turn the momentum in his favour. He claimed three straight games, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, to seal a 3-2 victory.

The result confirmed Ashab’s reputation as one of Pakistan’s brightest growing squash prospects.

In the other match, Zaman booked his place in the last four with a 3-1 win over Colombia’s Ronald Palomino. The fifth seed started strongly with an 11-4 opening game, dropped the second 10-12, but quickly regained control to close out the match 11-7, 11-7 in 52 minutes.