ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Muhammad Ashab Irfan and Noor Zaman advanced to the men’s singles semifinals at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday, guaranteeing the country a medal in the individual squash event.
Ashab rallied from a game down to beat India’s Veer Chotrani 3-1. After losing the opener 6-11, he took the next three games 11-8, 11-3 and 11-3 in a 41-minute quarterfinal.
Noor also won 3-1, defeating Hong Kong’s Chi Hin Henry Leung in 28 minutes. He claimed the first two games 11-7 and 11-6, dropped the third 3-11, then sealed the match with an 11-4 win.
Both Pakistanis had recorded straight-game victories in Thursday’s round of 16. Noor beat Kuwait’s Ammar Altamimi, while Ashab defeated Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Nasfan.
Pakistan’s mixed doubles pair, Muhammad Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali, exited the competition after losing 0-2 to Hong Kong’s Yee Lam Toby Tse and Cheuk Nam Lai. The Hong Kong pair won 11-6 and 11-7.
The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday. Ashab will face India’s Abhay Singh at 2:45 p.m. JST (10:45 a.m. Pakistan time), while Noor is set to play at 4:15 p.m. JST (12:15 p.m. Pakistan time). His opponent has yet to be confirmed.
Reported By: Staff Reporter I Islamabad
