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COMBAXX International PSF Championship 2022 |
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COMBAXX International PSF Championship
2022
Men's Draw
24 - 28 Aug
Islamabad, Pakistan, $12k |
ROUND TWO
25 AUG |
QUARTERS
26 AUG |
SEMIS
27 AUG |
FINAL
28 AUG |
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[2] Noor Zaman (PAK)
11-4, 11-8 rtd (19m)
[9/16] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) |
Noor Zaman
11-3, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 (32m)
Farhan Zaman |
Noor Zaman
11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (50m)
Muhammad Ashab Irfan |
Noor Zaman
11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)
Nasir Iqbal |
[5] Farhan Zaman (PAK)
11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-4 (39m)
Muhammad Ammad (PAK) |
[7] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK)
10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 (45m)
Naveed Rehman (PAK) |
Muhammad Ashab Irfan
11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 14-12 (60m)
Hafiz Zhafri |
[3] Alireza Shameli (IRI)
12-10, 11-6, 11-8 (32m)
Hafiz Zhafri (MAS) |
[4] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)
11-4, 12-10, 11-6 (29m)
[9/16] Salman Saleem (PAK) |
Nasir Iqbal
11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (45m)
Hamza Khan |
Nasir Iqbal
11-8, 8-11, 11-6,
10-12, 11-7 (48m)
Abdalah El Masry |
[8] Hamza Khan (PAK)
5-11, 11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 (42m)
Sepehr Etemadpoor (IRI) |
[6] Ahsan Ayaz (PAK)
11-8, 11-4, 11-3 (24m)
[9/16] Zahir Shah (PAK) |
Ahsan Ayaz
11-8, 11-3, 11-9 (36m)
Abdalah El Masry |
[9/16] Abdalah El Masry (EGY)
11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (28m)
[1] Khaled Labib (EGY) |
[2] Noor Zaman (PAK) bye
[9/16] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [WC] Moeen Ud Din (PAK) 11-4, 11-3, 11-5
(13m)
Muhammad Ammad (PAK) bt [9/16] Wee Ming Hock (MAS) 11-6, 11-2, 11-2
(22m)
[5] Farhan Zaman (PAK) bye
[7] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) bye
Naveed Rehman (PAK) bt [9/16] Saeed Abdul (PAK) 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8
(45m)
Hafiz Zhafri (MAS) bt [9/16] Zeeshan Zeb (PAK) 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7,
11-4 (59m)
[3] Alireza Shameli (IRI) bye
[4] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bye
[9/16] Salman Saleem (PAK) bt Abdelrahman Nassar (EGY) 9-11, 11-7, 11-9,
11-7 (41m)
Sepehr Etemadpoor (IRI) bt [9/16] Duncan Lee (MAS) 12-10, 11-6, 11-9
(30m)
[8] Hamza Khan (PAK) bye
[6] Ahsan Ayaz (PAK) bye
[9/16] Zahir Shah (PAK) bt [WC] Talha Saeed (PAK) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 (14m)
[9/16] Abdalah El Masry (EGY) bt Waqar Mehboob (PAK) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4
(21m)
[1] Khaled Labib (EGY) bye |
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.
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Elmasry Halts Pakistani
Dominance
The third day of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament saw
another surprise result, and it was one that ensured it would not be
Pakistani dominance in the semi-finals, as Egypt’s Abdallah Elmasry took
out seeded opposition for the second day in succession.
The Egyptian, who came into the Challenger 10 level competition in
Islamabad, Pakistan unseeded, got the better of the tournament’s top
seed, Khaled Labib, on Thursday, and on Friday afternoon at the Mushaf
Squash Complex, he caused another upset.
Elmasry took on the event’s No.6 seed Ahsan Ayaz for a place in the las
four of the competition, and he was the only man to win in straight
games. He took the first game 11-8, before comfortably doubling his
advantage in the contest. That form continued into the third, and
although it was much tighter, he took it 11-9 to advance. The Egyptian
will now face No.4 seed, and former World No.35, Nasir Iqbal, in the
semi-finals.
The other match in the last four will see No.2 seed Nour Zaman, the
leading Pakistani in the draw, take on compatriot Muhammad Ashab Irfan,
the No.7 seed. Both men won their respective quarter final contest in
four games, and will do battle for a place in the final on Saturday.
The semi-finals of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament will
take place on Saturday, August 27, with the last four doing battle for
places in Sunday’s finals in Islamabad.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament website or
follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV. |
Two Of Top Three
Seeds Out
It was a shocking second day at the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash
Tournament, as two of the top three seeds, including the event’s top
seed, were knocked out of the Challenger 10 level competition.
The biggest story of the day saw the tournament’s top seed, Khaled Labib,
defeated by fellow Egyptian Abdallah Elmasry in straight games. Elmasry,
the World No.176, was in complete control throughout the contest,
winning 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 in less than half an hour, to book his place in
the last eight of the event in Islamabad.
Malaysia’s Hafiz Zhafri also caused a big upset as he got the better of
No.3 seed Alireza Shameli, the Iranian No.1, also in straight games.
Winning the first game on a tie-break was crucial for the Malaysian, who
went on to win in three in 32 minutes, to advance to the quarter finals.
Elsewhere, Pakistan’s Hamza Khan, the No.8 seed for the event, had to
fight his way past Iran’s Sepehr Etemadpoor, with the 18-year-old
eventually winning in five, after seeing the Iranian come back to take
the fourth game. The rest of the draw will be filled by Pakistanis on
home soil, with Noor and Farhan Zaman to face each other in one of the
key clashes on quarter finals day.
The quarter finals of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament
will take place on Friday, August 26, with the last eight doing battle
to try and reach the semi-finals of the Challenger 10 level tournament.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
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Wildcard Ammad Among Surprise Winners
Muhammad Ammad
The opening day of the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament saw
several surprises in terms of seeding, with the biggest of those seeing
wildcard Muhammad Ammad take out Malaysia’s Wee Ming Hock in their first
round contest in Islamabad.
The Challenger 10 level tournament is taking place at the Mushaf Squash
Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan, with 24 players in action, the majority
of those hailing from the host nation.
Ammad, the World No.546 coming into the competition, took on Malaysia’s
Wee Ming Hock in the first round, and despite being more than 300 places
lower than his opponent in the rankings, he completely outclassed him.
The Pakistani youngster, only born in 2005, won in straight games and
dropped just ten points, en route to an 11-6, 11-2, 11-2 victory in 22
minutes. He will now face No.5 seed Farhan Zaman in the second round on
Thursday.
Another Pakistani to cause an upset on the first day in Islamabad was
Naveed Rehman, as he got the better of Saeed Abdul. Rehman took the
first two games to hold a commanding advantage, and then was able to
regroup after Abdul won the third. He eventually took the win in four
after 45 minutes, to book his spot in the next round, where he will now
take on No.7 seed Muhammad Ashab Irfan.
The only match to go to five games on the opening day of the Challenger
10 level competition was the contest between Malaysia’s Hafiz Zhafri and
Pakistan’s Zeeshan Zeb. The latter took a two-game lead, but saw the
Malaysian fight back to send the tie into a decider. In the end, Zhafri
came through in five, winning the deciding game 11-4, to book his spot
in the last 16 of the tournament.
Iran’s Sepehr Etemadpoor was the fourth man to take a surprise victory
on the opening day, as he got the better of Malaysia’s Duncan Lee in
straight games. A first game tie-break was crucial, with the Iranian
winning it 12-10, before then going on to win in three to book his spot
in the next round, joining compatriot and No.3 seed for the tournament
Alireza Shameli.
The PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament continues on Thursday,
August 25, with the top eight seeds making their bows in the event in
Islamabad.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV.
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Zaman Aiming For
Maiden Title
The first of three tournaments taking place on the Tour this week will
be the PSF-COMBAXX International Squash Tournament, with the Challenger
10 level men’s event taking place in Islamabad, Pakistan from Wednesday,
August 24 to Sunday, August 28.
Egypt’s Khaled Labib will be the tournament’s top seed, with the World
No.98 aiming to claim his maiden title on Tour. The only other
non-Pakistani inside the top eight seeds will be Iranian No.1 Alireza
Shameli, who is looking to secure his first title on foreign soil.
18-year-old Noor Zaman will be the No.2 seed, and the leading Pakistani
in the field on home soil. He has just come back from representing his
nation at the WSF World junior Championships, and he is proud of putting
on his country’s colours once again.
“I feel great that I have bought honour and dignity for my country. I
feel super energetic and looking forward to claim the title,” Zaman
explained.
“If I play well, I can claim the title and I’m confident about my game
and morale for my maiden title.”
Zaman currently sits at World No.110, having been just outside the
world’s top 100 for the last few months. He is hoping that some good
performances in his next few events will help him push into that top 100
mark for the first time.
“[In] claiming one or two international titles, the journey to world top
100 can be done, and I’m sure it will happen soon,” he said.
The rest of the top eight seeds will also be filled with home hopes
aiming to win in their own nation. Nasir Iqbal, Farhan Zaman, Ahsan Ayaz,
Muhammad Ashab irfan and Hamza Khan will all be in action.
Elsewhere in the draw, another Iranian in Sepher Etemadpoor will join a
further pair of Egyptians in Abdelrahman Nassar and Abdallah Elmasry.
The Malaysian trio of Duncan Lee, Wee Ming Hock and Hafiz Zhafri will
make up the rest of the 24-strong draw.
The event takes place from Wednesday, August 24 to Sunday, August 28 at
the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad, where Noor Zaman will be the
leading Pakistani for the tournament. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on
Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow PSA Events on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok
and
SQUASHTV. |
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