KARACHI: Noor Zaman from Pakistan has made history by becoming the Under-23 World Squash Championship title holder in an exhilarating five-set battle against Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey.
Played in Karachi, El Torkey jumped to an early lead in the first two games, but Zaman remained dialed in and charged back with poise and control to take the title in front of local supporters.
This represents a major milestone for Pakistani squash as memories of past glory in the sport during the Khan squash family era come to mind.
Noor Zaman’s path to the final was remarkable, given the dominant semi-final he played against Malaysia’s Ameeshenraj Chandaran to get there.
Zaman took two encouraging games with scorelines of 11-6 and 11-2, then was up in the third game 6-4 when Chandaran was forced to withdraw through injury. El Torkey‘s journey was not as easy against a fellow Egyptian Ibrahim Elkabbani, as El Torkey won 3-1.
Noor Zaman‘s accomplishment has resulted in jubilation across the country; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared his congratulations to Zaman and the people of Pakistan for the achievement.
Along with Zaman’s success, Pakistan also performed well in the Plate Event at the Under-23 World Squash Championships 2025, where Muhammad Ammad won the men’s final over Karam Michael of Canada, and Amna Fayyaz lost to Yeheni Kuruppu of Sri Lanka in the women’s final.
Excitement around squash has peaked among fans in Pakistan as they see the sport picking up again, and many hope to see more titles awarded in the coming years.
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