Noor Zaman stuns defending champion Gawad to reach Silicon Valley Open quarters

Pakistan’s Noor Zaman stunned defending champion and world No. 4 Karim Abdel Gawad of Egypt 3-1 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold Silicon Valley Open at the Redwood City in California. The 22-year-old overcame the second seed 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 in 52 minutes at Squash Zone, handing the Egyptian a shock defeat 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. Noor, ranked among the world’s top 35 players, had earlier booked his place in the last 16 with a…