Noor Zaman jumped in the world squash rankings to break into the Top 30 on Monday and reach a career-high after a scintillating performance at the Karachi Open last week that saw all six Pakistani players at the tournament move up the PSA list.
Noor reached world No. 30 in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings, having achieved his previous career best of 37 on October 27 following a string of international victories.
The 21-year-old gave former world champion Mohamed Elshorbagy a run for his money by taking the Englishman to five intense matches in the quarter-finals of the Karachi Open before being beaten 3-2, ending Pakistan’s streak at the international championship.
Noor, the U23 world champion at the same stage last year, is no stranger to comebacks and long five-game matches. He was narrowly defeated in the fifth match with a score of 11-2, 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-9.
Former world number one Elshorbagy called Noor one of the most focused players he has ever seen.
“It’s great for Pakistan to have someone coming in, you need another world champion soon since you are a squash nation, and it’s very exciting for Pakistan to have Noor,” Elshorbagy said after the match.
Ahab IrfanNoor’s only other compatriot in the Top 50, moved up two places to a career-high 45 on PSA’s list.
Ashab also gave former world champion Karim Gawad a scare when he took the Egyptian to a five-game match that saw Gawad win the last three games with a score of 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.
The duo was accompanied by two men and two women, wildcard participants.
Although a veteran player Nasir Iqbal jumped 35 places in the rankings to 99th in the world, he has a career high of 35 achieved in February 2016.
Nasir was Pakistan’s only wildcard participant to advance to the round of 16, where he was beaten 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5) by Egyptian teenage sensation Mohamad Zakaria, who won the champion title in front of a packed crowd on Sunday.
Like Nasir, Tayyab Aslam jumped 50 points in the rankings to reach 149, which pales in comparison to its all-time high of 41 reached in January 2021.
Tayyab was ousted 3-0 in the first round by Spaniard Iker Pajares (11-6, 11-2, 11-7).
Nasir and Noor were part of Pakistan’s 2023 Asian Games team to win a silver medal in the men’s team squash event.
On the women’s side, Sana Bahadar And Mariam Malik also achieved a career-high ranking despite being eliminated from the Karachi Open in the first round.
Sana, who is entirely deaf and cannot speak, entered the Top 200 at 197. Her previous career best was 212 in January 2023. She was beaten 11-4, 11-1, 11-6 by Egyptian Mariam Metwally.
“I was emotional when I found out Sana was deaf. I had never played a deaf player before, and it makes me realize how much we take for granted when we see her overcome the obstacles she has to overcome to reach this level,” world number 35 Metwally said. Dawn after his match with Sana.
The latest PSA rankings put Mariam at 214, up from 248, also in January 2023. Mariam was defeated 3-0 by Sin Yuk Chan of Hong Kong, China (11-2, 11-4, 11-0).
“It’s definitely a big margin to lose, but it’s also a confidence thing to play at a gold-level event like this,” said Mariam, 22. Dawn after his match.
“I can’t remember the last time a Pakistani player participated in a competition of this caliber, which helps develop local players like me and my teammates.”
