Noor Zaman Advances to Quarterfinals at Open Squash Classic

KARACHI: In a major achievement, Pakistani squash player Noor Zaman has progressed to his first PSA Bronze-level quarterfinal. This came after a significant victory over world No. 20 Gregoire Marche of France at the Open Squash Classic 2025 held in New York.

The intense match, lasting 75 minutes on Court 4, saw the 21-year-old Zaman demonstrate remarkable resilience to defeat the seasoned Marche 3-2. The scores were 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, and 12-10.

Marche mounted two comebacks, leveling the match and pushing it to a decisive game. Both athletes were neck and neck at 10-all before Zaman secured the win in a tightly contested tiebreak.

This victory signifies a career milestone for the young Pakistani player, showcasing his growing talent and composure against higher-ranked competitors.

Zaman is set to compete against fourth-seeded Leonel Cardenas of Mexico in the quarterfinals of the $74,000 PSA World Tour Bronze event, scheduled to continue until October 9 in New York.

Earlier in the competition, Zaman reached the Round of 16 by defeating Bernat Jaume of Spain 3-0, with scores of 11-9, 11-3, and 14-12.

Meanwhile, Ashab Irfan and Asim Khan, the other Pakistani participants, were eliminated in the first round. Irfan was defeated by Velavan Senthilkumar of India, while Khan lost 3-0 to Mostafa El Serty of Egypt.

The Open Squash Classic 2025, a PSA World Bronze-level tournament, features a total prize pool of $74,000.

Notably, Noor Zaman recently won the Nash Cup 2025 in London, Canada, where he triumphed over Moustafa Elsirty of Egypt 3-0 in the final.

The fifth seed won with scores of 19-17, 11-7, 11-9 in a 52-minute match, clinching his inaugural PSA World Tour Copper-level title, accompanied by a $31,250 prize.