Johns Creek Open: 19-year-old Noor Zaman Shocks Top Seed Khan To Reach Semi-Finals In Georgia

In an action packed day at the Life Time Johns Creek Open, two seeds were beaten to ensue that only one of the top four seeds would be featuring in the semi-finals of the Challenger 10 event.

The match and upset of the day came from 19-year-old Noor Zaman, who beat compatriot, top seed and World No.66 Muhammad Asim Khan in a brutal 101-minute five set clash. The pair split two nail-biting opening games, both winning in tiebreaks. The top seed moved ahead in the tie by taking the third game 11-5 and looked to be booking his place in the final four. Zaman rallied back however to take the fourth and fifth games 11-6, 11-9 to shock the top seed and reach the semis.

Zaman’s opponent will be another surprise semi-finalist in Mexico’s Alejandro Reyes, who defeated Argentina’s Jeremias Azaña also in five games. The Mexican trailed 2-1 in the match but closed out a tight fourth game 12-10 to force a decider. Reyes started the better of the two in the fifth and carried that momentum through to win 11-1.

Pakistan will have another player in the semi-finals as No.5 seed Muhammad Ashab Irfan defeated surprise quarter finalist Brett Schille. Despite the Canadian taking the opener 11-9, Irfan showed his quality to win the next three games. His opponent will be No.2 seed Ibrahim Elkabani, who needed just 24 minutes to defeat No.8 seed Liam Marrison. The Canadian was restricted to a maximum of six points in game one and five points in the following games.

The semi-finals will take place at 15:00 (GMT-4). Keep up with the event on the Challenger Tour Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Results: Life Time John Creek Open 2023 – Quarter Finals
[6] Noor Zaman (PAK) bt [1] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-2: 14-16, 13-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-9 (101m)
[7] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) bt [3] Jeremias Azaña (ARG) 3-1: 11-9, 3-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-1 (60m)
[5] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) bt Brett Schille (CAN) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (37m)
[2] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) bt [8] Liam Marrison (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (24m)

Semi-final Draw: Life Time John Creek Open 2023
[6] Noor Zaman (PAK) v [7] Alejandro Reyes (MEX)
[5] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) v [2] Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY)