Pakistan’s promising young squash players Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nash Cup, a $31,250 PSA World Tour Copper event in London, Ontario, Canada.
Zaman, who is seeded fifth, put on a solid performance in his round of 16 match, defeating Argentina’s Jeremias Azana 3-1. After taking the first game 11-6, Zaman lost a tight second game 12-14. However, he regained his focus and won the next two games 12-10 and 11-7, closing out the match in 57 minutes.
Irfan, the eighth seed, had a tougher battle, playing a thrilling five-game match against Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva. Irfan started strong, winning the first game 11-5, but Jeeva responded by taking the second game 11-5. Irfan regained control with an 11-4 win in the third, but Jeeva forced a decider by winning the fourth 11-7. In the final game, Irfan held his nerve and won 11-6 after 63 minutes.
Both players now face challenging quarterfinal matchups. Zaman will take on Colombia’s Ronald Palomino, who caused an upset by beating third seed Leandro Romiglio of Argentina in straight games. Irfan will face India’s Veer Chotrani, the fourth seed, who advanced with a 3-1 win over Viktor Byrtus of the Czech Republic.
