Noor Zaman stuns world No. 20 to reach first PSA Bronze quarterfinal

KARACHI: Pakistan’s rising squash sensation Noor Zaman reached his first-ever PSA Bronze-level quarterfinal after pulling off a stunning upset against world No. 20 and fifth seed Gregoire Marche of France at the Open Squash Classic 2025 in New York.

In a gripping 75-minute thriller on Court 4, the 21-year-old held his composure to edge out the experienced Frenchman 3-2, with scores of 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10. 

Marche fought back twice to level the match and forced a decider, where both players were tied at 10-all before Zaman clinched victory in a tense tiebreak finish.

This remarkable win marks a career-best performance for the young Pakistani, who continues to impress with his temperament and skill against higher-ranked opponents. 

Zaman will now face fourth seed Leonel Cardenas of Mexico in the quarterfinals of the $74,000 PSA World Tour Bronze event, which runs through October 9 in New York.

Earlier in the tournament, Zaman advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Spain’s Bernat Jaume 3-0, with scores of 11-9, 11-3, 14-12.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s other two representatives, Ashab Irfan and Asim Khan, exited in the opening round. Irfan lost to India’s Velavan Senthilkumar, while Khan was defeated 3-0 by Egypt’s Mostafa El Serty.

The Open Squash Classic 2025, a PSA World Bronze-level event, offers a total prize purse of $74,000.

It is pertinent to mention that Noor Zaman recently captured the Nash Cup 2025 title in London, Canada, where he defeated Egypt’s Moustafa Elsirty 3-0 in the final. 

The fifth seed triumphed with scores of 19-17, 11-7, 11-9 in a 52-minute encounter, claiming his first PSA World Tour Copper-level title, which carried a prize purse of $31,250.