Five domestic and 19 international squash players from Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands took part in the contest, military’s media affairs wing said in a statement.

Zakaria beat Iqbal 11-13, 11-4, 11-5, and 11-7 to clinch the trophy and walk away with the lucrative prize money of $20,000.

 “Mohammed Zakaria of Egypt declared the winner of the 16th Chief of the Naval Staff International Squash Championship 2024,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The closing ceremony of the tournament was held at the Pakistan Navy Roshan Khan Jahangir Khan Squash Complex in Karachi. Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf was the chief guest at the ceremony.

“The naval chief distributed prizes to the winners and runners-up players of the championship,” the ISPR said, adding that the closing ceremony was attended by a large number of civil and military dignitaries, sponsors, national players and fans.

Pakistan has always been counted among the world’s top squash-playing nations, introducing legendary players of the sport such as Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Azam Khan, and Qamar Zaman to the world. Between themselves, Jansher Khan and Jahangir Khan won the World Squash Open title 14 times for Pakistan during the ‘80s and the ‘90s.