Pakistan enjoyed a strong start in men’s singles squash at the Asian Games, with Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab both reaching the last 16. The country’s kabaddi team, however, suffered its first defeat of the competition.
Noor beat the Philippines’ Van Aero Dalida in straight games, 11–2, 11–4, 11–3, completing the match in 20 minutes. Ashab was equally convincing against Lebanon’s Jason Karam, winning 11–2, 11–3, 11–0 in 18 minutes. Both players were due to face their next opponents on Thursday, with quarter-final places at stake.
Pakistan also progressed in mixed doubles squash through Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali. The women’s singles results were less favourable: Mahnoor Ali and Sana Bahadur both exited in the round of 32.
In kabaddi, Pakistan led Thailand 23–16 at half-time but lost 48–45 after Thailand’s second-half comeback. It was Pakistan’s first loss after winning its opening two fixtures. Iran is next in the team’s final group match.
The contrasting results leave Pakistan with promising opportunities in squash and a more difficult test ahead in kabaddi. Noor and Ashab now have a chance to build on dominant opening wins, while the kabaddi side must recover quickly from a narrow defeat.
