Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria and Amina Orfi emerged victorious at the Karachi Open after delivering impressive performances in the finals at the DA Creek Club on Sunday.
In the men’s final, Zakaria clinched the biggest title of his professional career after a hard-fought, 100-minute battle against fellow Egyptian Aly Abou Eleinen.
The world number 11 showed remarkable resilience, coming from behind twice to secure a 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7 victory in a physically demanding contest.
Visit Times of Karachi website for the latest news-related content daily
The match, contested between the fifth and sixth seeds, was intense from the start, with long rallies and high-quality shot-making.
Eleinen made a strong opening, taking the first game after a lengthy exchange of points.
He continued to apply pressure in the second game, but Zakaria gradually found his rhythm and levelled the match.
The third game proved to be a highlight of the evening, stretching into a long tie-break as both players pushed each other to the limit.
Eleinen edged ahead to take a 2-1 lead, but Zakaria refused to back down.
After falling behind early in the fourth game, the 18-year-old mounted another comeback to force a deciding fifth game.
A key moment came when Eleinen struggled with cramp in the final game.
READ: Noor Zaman advances to PSA Karachi Open quarterfinals as Fares Dessouky walks out
Zakaria briefly let his opponent back into the contest, but he regained control at the crucial stage and closed out the match to seal a memorable win.
“I’ve definitely worked on the physical side of my game, I was really happy that I wasn’t that tired going into the fifth game against Aly today. It paid off,” said Zakaria.
Reflecting on their long-standing rivalry, he added: “I grew up playing with Aly in Alexandria from a young age, so that match before anything was a proud moment for both of us to be in a major final together. It is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
In contrast, the women’s final was a one-sided affair as top seed Amina Orfi produced a dominant display to defeat Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam 11-8, 11-2, 11-7 in just 38 minutes.
The world number three took control early, racing ahead in the opening game and maintaining her momentum throughout the match.
Her accuracy and composure, particularly on the backhand side, left her opponent with few chances.
“I’m so happy to get through the match in three games today,” Orfi said.
“The past few days, I wasn’t really playing my best, but today I think I played my best. I played the squash I’ve been training for during the short off-season break.”
The victory marked Orfi’s fourth PSA Tour title of the 2025–26 season, underlining her strong start to the year.
Follow the Times of Karachi channel on WhatsApp
“Winning another [Gold title] to start the new year will give me a push going into busy months in January and February with two Platinum events in the US. Hopefully, I can win those as well,” she added.
The Karachi Open concluded with strong performances from the Egyptian duo, highlighting their growing dominance on the international squash circuit.
