Nasir, Noor set up CAS Open title clash

ISLAMABAD: Playing exciting and aggressive squash Pakistan’s former No. 1 Nasir Iqbal toppled top seed Egyptian Ibrahim Elkabbani in hard-fought four games to set an all-Pakistan final in the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS)-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship here at Mushaf Complex Thursday.

The first semi-final turned out to be an exciting one. Nasir prevailed over world No. 62 Ibrahim 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4. Nasir will now take on countryman Noor Zaman, who breezed past Muhammad Ashab Irfan 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 in the second semi-final.

Unleashing his finest game after coming out of the four-year ban, Nasir kept his opponent on the toes as the Egyptian was seen losing the plot in the middle. Nasir played with precision and aggression and Ibrahim was unable to match his class.

Following 1-1 at the end of the first two games, Nasir moved his opponent all around the court striking some exciting drop and boast shots. Nasir was quick on his feet and tackled the front court well. His quick exchanges made the Egyptian clueless about his move, enabling him to earn many points.

The third and fourth games almost saw the same tempo with Ibrahim having no clue to match the fast tempo Nasir unleashed. In both the games, Nasir broke clear at the outset with Ibrahim unable to catch him despite making every effort to slow down the game tempo.

“I believe that I am possibly playing the best squash of my life these days. The Egyptian was far superior in ranking yet I managed him well. He was unable to match the tempo which was my hallmark today. Hopefully, I will continue to play in the same vein in the final on Friday and later,” Nasir said.

The world No 85, who six years back was ranked among the top 30 in the world, hoped to regain his previous status. “I am sure I will be in a position to make it into the top 50 in the world. If I stay injury-free and continue to play regularly on the circuit I can achieve that target,” he added.