Pakistan's 22-year-old squash prospect Noor Zaman caused a major upset at the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open on Wednesday, beating defending champion and world No. 4 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt to reach the quarterfinals in Redwood City, California.
The youngster outplayed the tournament's second seed, taking the match 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 in 52 minutes at Squash Zone.
Noor seized the initiative early, securing the first two games before Abdel Gawad rallied to win the third. The Pakistani then reclaimed control in the fourth, sealing a 3-1 win 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 triumph adds to Noor's résumé; he is ranked inside the world's top 35 and earlier booked his round-of-16 spot by beating American wildcard Bransten Ming 3-1 after dropping the opening game, winning 3-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.
Born in Peshawar, Noor is the grandson of former world champion Qamar Zaman and has kept the family legacy alive, having claimed the 2025 World Under-23 Squash Championship and five PSA Tour titles.
The win is especially striking given Abdel Gawad's pedigree, including a former world No. 1 ranking and multiple major PSA titles.
In other news, Pakistan's Mohammad Ashab Irfan fell in the round of 16 after a 3-0 loss to fifth seed Mohamed ElShorbagy of Egypt.
Irfan had earlier dispatched Hungary's Balazs Farkas in straight games, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5, but could not sustain that level against the seasoned Egyptian.
The PSA World Tour Gold tournament offers equal prize money for men and women as squash looks toward its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Noor now aims to build on his momentum in the quarterfinals, hoping to improve his ranking further and bolster Pakistan's standing in international squash.
