Zaman to face England’s Sam Todd, Irfan to lock horns with Egypt’s Mohamed Sharaf in next round
KARACHI: Pakistan’s top squash players Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan have booked their spots in the quarterfinals of the Richardson Wealth Vancouver Men’s Open 2025 after impressive victories in their Round of 16 matches on Thursday.
The PSA World Tour Copper event, offering a prize purse of $31,250, features a strong international lineup with players from England, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Wales.
Third seed Zaman produced a confident and skillful display to defeat Wales’ Owain Taylor 3-1 in 53 minutes. Zaman controlled the early stages, winning the first two games 11-9, 11-9 through well-measured rallies.
Taylor rallied in the third, saving two game balls before edging it 14-12, but Zaman responded strongly in the fourth, using sharp drops and steady backcourt play to seal the win 11-8.
The 21-year-old will now face England’s Sam Todd in the quarterfinal.
In another Round of 16 match, fourth seed Irfan endured a nerve-testing five-game battle against Hong Kong’s Matthew Lai, eventually prevailing 3-2 after 71 minutes of intense play.
Irfan began strongly, taking the first game 11-4 with dominant play, but Lai struck back to level the score. The Pakistani regained momentum to claim the third game 11-7 before Lai once again forced a decider by winning a tight fourth 12-10.
In the fifth, Irfan’s superior conditioning and calm under pressure made the difference as he closed out the contest 11-6 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Irfan will face Mohamed Sharaf of Egypt in the fourth quarterfinal.
