Karachi to Host Fourth Gold Event of PSA 25/26 Season; Gawad & Orfi Lead Draws

Karachi (Sports Desk): The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has released the draws for the fourth Gold event of the 2025/26 PSA World Tour season, scheduled for 6–11 January 2026 at the DA Creek Club, Karachi—the same venue that staged the World U23 Championships in April 2025. Former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad and reigning World Junior Champion Amina Orfi head the men’s and women’s draws respectively.

Men’s Event

Top seed Karim Abdel Gawad, who holds an eight-match win streak in Karachi, will attempt to secure his third title in the city following victories in 2018 and 2022. After a first-round bye, he will face either Ryunosuke Tsukue or Curtis Malik in round two. He shares the top quarter with No.8 seed Eain Yow Ng.

Second seed Marwan ElShorbagy, chasing his third PSA title of the season, returns to Pakistan for the first time since winning the 2017 Pakistan Open. He awaits the winner of Fares Dessouky vs Muhammad Ashab Irfan in round two, with a possible quarterfinal against Aly Abou Eleinen.

World No.7 Youssef Ibrahim continues his rise after strong performances at the U.S. Open and China Open, including a notable win over Paul Coll. He occupies the same half as Gawad.

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Former World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, seeded fourth, seeks to rebound from a difficult start to the season. He sits in the bottom half with his brother Marwan and could face No.5 seed Youssef Soliman before any family showdown.

Pakistan’s hopes are led by World U23 Champion Noor Zaman, joined by Mohammad Ashab Irfan, Tayyab Aslam, and Nasir Iqbal.

Women’s Event

World No.3 Amina Orfi leads the women’s draw, entering the event in remarkable form, with finals appearances in five of her six tournaments this season. She aims to close the ranking gap with Hania El Hammamy and Nouran Gohar.

Malaysia’s World No.6 Sivasangari Subramaniam is the No.2 seed and a former Gold event winner, lifting the 2024 London Classic title. She could face returning Egyptian Rowan Elaraby, who is set to play her first event since a 2025 World Championships injury.

No.3 seed Fayrouz Aboelkheir, who famously defeated eight-time World Champion Nour ElSherbini earlier this season, continues her push toward the world top 10.

Egypt dominates seeding positions 4 through 7 — Salma Hany, Nada Abbas, Rowan Elaraby, and Farida Mohamed — while Malaysia’s rising star Aira Azman holds the No.8 seed.

Pakistan’s representation includes Sana Bahadar and Mariam Malik in the main women’s draw.