Pakistan’s rising squash star Noor Zaman caused a major upset at the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open on Wednesday, defeating defending champion and world No. 4 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt to advance to the quarterfinals in Redwood City, California.
The 22-year-old Pakistani delivered an impressive performance against the tournament’s second seed, winning 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 in 52 minutes at Squash Zone.
Noor took control early, winning the first two games before Abdel Gawad fought back to claim the third. However, the Pakistani regained his momentum in the fourth game to complete a 3-1 victory in the $143,500 men’s event.
“I was ready mentally and physically today, and I think now is the time for me to beat the top players,” Noor said after the match.
The victory is a significant achievement for Noor, who is currently ranked among the world’s top 35 players. He had earlier secured his place in the round of 16 with a 3-1 win over American wildcard Bransten Ming, recovering from an opening-game defeat to win 3-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.
Hailing from Peshawar, Noor is the grandson of former world squash champion Qamar Zaman. He has continued his family’s sporting legacy, winning the 2025 World Under-23 Squash Championship and five PSA Tour titles.
His latest victory is particularly notable given Abdel Gawad’s experience at the highest level, having previously held the world No. 1 ranking and won several major PSA titles.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Ashab Irfan exited the tournament in the round of 16 following a 3-0 defeat to fifth seed Mohamed ElShorbagy of Egypt.
Irfan had previously defeated Hungary’s Balazs Farkas in straight games, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5, but could not maintain that form against the experienced Egyptian.
The PSA World Tour Gold event offers equal prize money to men and women as squash prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Noor will now look to carry his momentum into the quarterfinals as he aims to further improve his world ranking and strengthen Pakistan’s position in international squash.
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