Tempers flared and expletives were thrown on the squash court faster than the ball as Egyptian squash player Fares Dessouky argued with the referee and abandoned the match in the fifth game, which automatically allowed Pakistan’s Noor Zaman to advance to the quarter-finals of the Karachi Open.
Home favorite Noor was Pakistan’s last hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals after Ashab Irfan and Nasir Iqbal were knocked out of the tournament earlier in the day.
Noor was two sets ahead as Dessouky won the first two matches 11-8, 11-9.
Tensions had been building throughout the match, with Dessouky wondering in the second game how the score had reached 6-4 when it should have been 5-4. Spectators and international athletes, as well as squash icon Jahangir Khan, sitting in the front row of the action, whispered that the score should be 5-4.
Dessouky won the second game as Noor’s coach gave him a pep talk which apparently helped him win the third game 11-5.
Dessouky, currently number 15 in the world with a career-high seven, went neck-and-neck with Noor for the fourth game, which Noor ultimately won 11-9.
The Egyptian waited for Noor to come off the pitch to look at the referee and ask him where he came from, “because it’s incredible”.
Spectators mounted chairs and clung to every available surface to watch the match, the fifth set of which would decide whether Pakistan had another chance at the championship or whether the dominant Egyptians would prevail.
Noor was on his way to a potential victory in the match after taking the lead and running with it. The comeback king regained the under-23 world title in similar fashion last year after coming within two games of his opponent. After reaching his career-best world ranking last year and beating Frenchman Melvil Scianimanico in the fifth set on Tuesday, Noor was in the zone to win today’s match.
At 6-3, Dessouky slammed his racket on the ground, frustrated by the referee’s decision. Referee Sajjad Khan, a member of the Asian Squash Referees, gave him a warning for his behavior.
Barely had the fifth game continued when Dessouky blew a fuse and opened the door mid-match, which is not allowed and can result in a penalty depending on the referee’s decision.
The referee calmly asked him to close the door and continue the game but Dessouky began to unleash his anger on the referee perched high on his seat.
“Close the door. Otherwise I will use the code of conduct. Keep playing,” referee Khan said as Dessouky shouted “this is incredible” and a silent Noor watched from the field.
Dessouky hurled expletives at the referee and said he did not care about receiving a driving match, meaning he voluntarily abandoned the match, thus granting Noor an automatic place in the quarterfinals.
The two players shook hands and Noor patted Dessouky on the back before bowing in prayer. Dessouky warned Khan that he would file a complaint against him with the PSA (Professional Squash Association), to which Khan responded in kind.
The sea of spectators parted in the narrow corridor to allow a furious Dessouky, who packed his gear and stormed out of the arena. Onlookers were shocked and amused by the drama they witnessed.
This was not the first time Dessouky had been issued a driving warning; A driving game was awarded to him for his behavior during the third match of the 2024 Egypt Open against compatriot Tarek Momen.
“The referee was good in all his decisions, I don’t know what happened to (Dessouky) after 6-2; he just lost the game, he threw his racket and started swearing in English,” Noor told Dawn right after the match.
“I feel sorry for him in a way, but it’s also his fault.”
With the nation’s hopes of another league title once again resting on him, Noor said he hopes to live up to those expectations.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Ashab Irfan was denied his dream of defeating a former world champion on home soil when his fairy tale ending was belied by Karim Gawad as the Egyptian staged a comeback to prove why he is one of the best squash players in the world.
Ashab gave the 34-year-old a tough time as he sent the Egyptian to all corners of the Creek Club glass court in the first game.
The sparse crowd applauded every point Ashab scored, not just because he was one of three Pakistani players today, but because he was demolishing the former world number one he once idolized as a child.
Ashab won the first game 11-7 after building a lead that Gawad could chase. The second match was closer but Ashab won 11-9 to the delight of the home crowd.
Gawad won the third set 11-5 before beating Ashab 11-8 in the fourth game. Ashab seemed to be running out of steam against the men’s top seed and current world number four.
The Egyptian finished the match and match 11-5 to advance to the quarter-finals, where he will face world number 17 Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia.
Pakistan’s only wildcard entrant, Nasir Iqbal, opened the day with a 3-1 loss to budding Egyptian teenager Muhamad Zakaria. The fifth seed, the world number 11, won the first match 11-6 before Nasir regained his momentum and won the second match 11-7.
Zakaria then demolished Nasir 11-7, 11-5 to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals, where he will face Alex Lau of Hong Kong.
“(Zakaria) is a promising player ranked 11th in the world right now. Obviously my mindset going into this match was to win, but I struggled to get the momentum I wanted,” Nasir said. Dawn after the match.
“Apart from that, in terms of speed, experience and skills, I was happy with my performance; I just couldn’t keep up with (Zakaria’s) pace,” he admitted, adding that he had barely recovered from dengue before the Karachi Open.
Noor, Ashab and Nasir are expected to take part in the Asian Team Championships in April, which will also be held on home soil in the capital.
