UCNY Classic QF: Iqbal Joins Top Three Seeds In Semis

The semi-finals of the UCNY PSA Classic are set, with Pakistan’s Nasir Iqbal joining the top three seeds in the last four of the competition.

The Pakistani came into the Challenger 5 level event as one of the eight unseeded players, but he has shown why he has been as high as World No.35 in the past.

He came up against another unseeded player on Tuesday evening, beating Hong Kong’s Matthew Lai in straight games. The opener was tight, but the Pakistani fought through it 11-9, before going on to claim the win in three, and to move through to the last four of the competition.

He will now take on Egypt’s Aly Hussein, the No.2 seed, in the semis. The Egyptian also won in straight games, defeating India’s Abhishek Agarwal comfortably to advance.

Top seed Yassin Elshafei had to fight to reach the last four in New York. He came from a game down to defeat Mexican Alejandro Reyes in a fifth game decider. No.3 seed Noor Zaman, Elshafei’s semi-final opponent, also won in five on Tuesday. The Pakistani defeated Argentina’s Jeremias Azana 11-9 in the decider.

The action continues in New York City on Wednesday, April 12 with the semi-finals. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

Quarter Final Results: UCNY PSA Classic
[1] Yassin ElShafei (EGY) bt [7] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) 3-2: 11-4, 8-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-3
[3] Noor Zaman (PAK) bt [5] Jeremias Azana (ARG) 3-2: 11-6, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Matthew Lai (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-8
[2] Aly Hussein (EGY) bt Abhishek Agarwal (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-8

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Wednesday, April 12
[1] Yassin ElShafei (EGY) v [3] Noor Zaman (PAK)
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) v [2] Aly Hussein (EGY)