NAGOYA: Pakistan’s men’s squash team secured at least a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday after defeating South Korea 2-0 in the quarter-finals, while the women’s campaign came to an end following a 2-1 defeat to China.
The men produced a composed performance at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, winning both singles matches without requiring a deciding rubber.
Mohammad Ashab Irfan gave Pakistan an early advantage against South Korea’s Na Jooyoung. The 22-year-old Pakistani recovered from a closely contested start to take the opening game 11-5.
Ashab maintained control in the second game, winning 11-8 despite Jooyoung repeatedly attempting to close the gap. The Korean fought hard in the third, but Ashab held his nerve to complete an 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 victory in less than 30 minutes.
World No. 33 Noor Zaman then stepped onto the court with an opportunity to seal the tie.
Noor dominated the opening two games against Seojin Oh, winning 11-4 and 11-5. The Korean responded in the third, fighting back to win 11-8 and briefly keeping his team’s hopes alive.
However, Noor quickly regained control in the fourth game. He built an early lead before producing a decisive seven-point run to win 11-2 and complete Pakistan’s 2-0 victory.
The result sends Pakistan into Thursday’s semi-final against Hong Kong, who defeated Qatar in the other quarter-final.
Noor and Ashab have also already secured bronze medals in the singles competition, giving Pakistan another opportunity to add to its squash medal tally.
Women’s campaign ends
Pakistan’s women, meanwhile, could not progress to the quarter-finals after losing 2-1 to China in their second round-robin qualifier.
Thirteen-year-old Mahnoor Ali lost the opening match against Ziyi Liu, who won 11-4, 11-8, 11-2.
Sana Bahadar then produced Pakistan’s strongest performance of the tie, defeating Yuning Zhang 11-7, 11-9, 11-2 to level the contest.
The deciding match went to the teenagers, with China’s 14-year-old Ziyuan Yin beating Sehrish Ali 11-3, 11-7, 11-2.
Pakistan’s women had earlier lost 3-0 to Macau, ending their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Bashir makes strong shooting start
Elsewhere, Pakistan’s three-time Olympian Ghulam Mustafa Bashir made a strong start in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol qualification.
Bashir scored 289 points with eight inner tens in the opening stage, recording series scores of 95, 96 and 98.
He currently sits eighth and will compete in the second stage on Thursday. His next 30 shots will determine his final qualification score and whether he advances to the final.
