PSF-COMBAXX International SF: Zaman and Iqbal To Contest Final

It will be the two highest-ranked Pakistanis  in the draw that will meet in the final of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament in Islamabad, with Nour Zaman and Nasir Iqbal set to meet at the Mushaf Squash Complex on Sunday.

In the semis, Iqbal, who has been ranked as high as World No.35 during his career, took on the tournament’s surprise package, Abdallah Elmasry, for a place in the final. The Egyptian had already taken out the top seed earlier in the week, and was looking to cause another big upset.

It as the Pakistani who took the lead on two occasions in the match, but he saw Elmasry fight back to level on both occasions, including seeing the Egyptian win the fourth game on a tie-break 12-10. Iqbal regrouped, taking the fifth game 11-7 in a rapid fire contest that lasted just 48 minutes, booking his place in the final of the tournament he won twelve months earlier.

Aiming to take the crown away from him will be 18-year-old Nour Zaman, the World No.110. The Pakistani junior, who featured for his country at the WSF World Junior Championships in France earlier this month, is the No.2 seed for the competition, and has been relatively unchallenged throughout so far.

In the semis, he took on compatriot and No.7 seed Muhammad Ashab Irfan, and started strongly, moving out into a two-game lead. Irfan fought back to take the third 11-6, and it looked like he might send the contest into a deciding game, but Zaman was able to battle in the fourth, taking it 12-10 to win 3-1 and to advance to the final in Islamabad.

The final of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament will take place on Sunday, August 28, with Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal going head-to-head for the Challenger 10 level title on home soil in Islamabad.

Semi-Final Results: PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament
[2] Noor Zaman (PAK) bt [7] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 3-1: 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (50m)
[4] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Abdallah Elmasry (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7 (48m)

Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, August 28
[2] Noor Zaman (PAK) v [4] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)