NAGOYA, September 26: Pakistan is assured of at least one medal in men’s singles squash at the Asian Games after Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan won their quarterfinal matches on Friday. Losing semifinalists receive bronze medals, so both players have already reached the medal stage.
Third seed Noor defeated Hong Kong’s Chi Hin Henry Leung 11–7, 11–6, 3–11, 11–4. Ashab, seeded fifth, recovered from a game down to beat India’s fourth seed Veer Chotrani 6–11, 11–8, 11–6, 11–6. Their victories mark the first time since 2002 that two Pakistani players have reached the Asian Games men’s singles squash semifinals.
The pair now have a chance to turn those guaranteed medals into places in the final. Noor is scheduled to face Malaysia’s top seed Eain Yow Ng, while Ashab is due to play India’s second seed Abhay Singh on Saturday.
Pakistan’s mixed doubles campaign ended at the quarterfinal stage when Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali lost to a Hong Kong pair. Even so, the singles results have given Pakistan a standout day in squash and kept hopes of a higher medal alive.
