Latest news with #AsianIndividualSquashChampionship


Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Noor Zaman, Nasir Iqbal secure silver at Asian Doubles Squad Championship
Pakistan's Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal secured a silver medal at the Asian Doubles Squash Championship, despite a valiant effort in the final on June 26. The Pakistani duo fought hard but ultimately lost to the defending champions, Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar of India, who triumphed 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 to retain their title. The final, held at the Kuching Sports Complex in Malaysia, was a hard-fought affair that lasted 1 hour and 27 minutes. Although Zaman and Iqbal came out strong, their Indian counterparts regrouped after the first set to claim a victory in the remaining two, sealing the gold for India. Pakistan's journey to the final was impressive, with Zaman and Iqbal defeating Malaysia in the semi-finals in a tense three-game battle. The pair triumphed 10-11, 11-9, 11-9 in a contest that lasted one hour and eight minutes, overcoming Syafiq Kamal and Duncan Lee to book their place in the final. Earlier, they had delivered another thrilling performance to edge past Korea in the quarter-finals, winning 11-3, 5-11, 11-4 against Jiang Min Ryu and Jaijin Yoo. In the group stages, the Pakistani pair exhibited excellent form, securing a spot in the knockout rounds with a comprehensive win over Chinese Taipei. Zaman and Iqbal dispatched Chi Yu-Wei and Chen Ching-Fu 11-2, 11-9 in just 11 minutes to ensure qualification. As second seeds in the tournament, the Pakistan team showed consistency from the outset, with dominant victories over the Philippines (11-7, 11-4) and South Korea. Their performance throughout the championship demonstrated their potential in doubles squash at the Asian level. Individually, Zaman had previously competed in the Asian Individual Squash Championship, where he was eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals by Malaysia's Joachim Chuah after a five-game thriller. Despite battling a back spasm, Zaman staged a comeback after losing the first two games 3-11, 3-11, but eventually fell 2-11 in the decider. Although Pakistan fell short in the final, their silver medal marks a significant achievement in the tournament, reflecting their strength as a doubles team and their rising stature in international squash.


The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Rachel Arnold falls short in Asian Squash final Again
NATIONAL squash player Rachel Arnold's struggle to end Malaysia's decade-long drought as the women's champion of the Asian Individual Squash Championship, once again failed when she lost to Hong Kong's Ho Tze Lok in the final of the 23rd edition at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Petra Jaya today. The world 19th-ranked player had to accept the superiority of her opponent after losing 4-11, 12-10, 4-11, 0-11 in a 36-minute match. The Kuala Lumpur-born player put up a tremendous fight in the second set but failed to curb the continuous pressure of the Hong Kong player who appeared more consistent and sharp in her shots. 'I am a bit disappointed with my performance in the final... I admit the pressure was quite high and I feel I was unable to adapt to the court conditions today. 'She (Ho) played really well today. She was putting me under a lot of pressure. Every time she did that, I would just sort of go for it. Now I think maybe I should have just stayed calm in those situations,' said the 29-year-old player, who also admitted that the hot weather was a big challenge throughout the match. Malaysia's all-time great Datuk Nicol Ann David, the queen of squash who is also a nine-time Asian champion, was the last national female player to win the tournament in 2015. At the 2021 edition in Islamabad, Pakistan, Rachel's dream of winning the title was also extinguished after losing to Hong Kong player Tong Tsz Wing in the final. Even though her maiden Asian title is still elusive, Rachel is determined to continue to stay in the hunt for gold in the next edition. 'My goal is still to get the title, eventually... I am aiming towards getting a better ranking in the PSA (Professional Squash Association). I think of breaking into the top 10 in the end, that is my main goal,' she said.


The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Rachel falls short again in quest for Asian title
NATIONAL squash player Rachel Arnold's struggle to end Malaysia's decade-long drought as the women's champion of the Asian Individual Squash Championship, once again failed when she lost to Hong Kong's Ho Tze Lok in the final of the 23rd edition at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Petra Jaya today. The world 19th-ranked player had to accept the superiority of her opponent after losing 4-11, 12-10, 4-11, 0-11 in a 36-minute match. The Kuala Lumpur-born player put up a tremendous fight in the second set but failed to curb the continuous pressure of the Hong Kong player who appeared more consistent and sharp in her shots. 'I am a bit disappointed with my performance in the final... I admit the pressure was quite high and I feel I was unable to adapt to the court conditions today. 'She (Ho) played really well today. She was putting me under a lot of pressure. Every time she did that, I would just sort of go for it. Now I think maybe I should have just stayed calm in those situations,' said the 29-year-old player, who also admitted that the hot weather was a big challenge throughout the match. Malaysia's all-time great Datuk Nicol Ann David, the queen of squash who is also a nine-time Asian champion, was the last national female player to win the tournament in 2015. At the 2021 edition in Islamabad, Pakistan, Rachel's dream of winning the title was also extinguished after losing to Hong Kong player Tong Tsz Wing in the final. Even though her maiden Asian title is still elusive, Rachel is determined to continue to stay in the hunt for gold in the next edition. 'My goal is still to get the title, eventually... I am aiming towards getting a better ranking in the PSA (Professional Squash Association). I think of breaking into the top 10 in the end, that is my main goal,' she said.

Barnama
5 days ago
- Sport
- Barnama
Rachel Falls Short Again In Quest For Asian Title
National squash player Rachel Arnold (top left) fell short in her bid to end Malaysia's decade-long title drought in the women's category of the 23rd Asian Individual Squash Championships after losing to Hong Kong's Ho Tze Lok (second, top left) in the final at the Sarawak Squash Centre, Petra Jaya. KUCHING, June 21 (Bernama) -- National squash player Rachel Arnold's struggle to end Malaysia's decade-long drought as the women's champion of the Asian Individual Squash Championship, once again failed when she lost to Hong Kong's Ho Tze Lok in the final of the 23rd edition at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Petra Jaya today. The world 19th-ranked player had to accept the superiority of her opponent after losing 4-11, 12-10, 4-11, 0-11 in a 36-minute match. The Kuala Lumpur-born player put up a tremendous fight in the second set but failed to curb the continuous pressure of the Hong Kong player who appeared more consistent and sharp in her shots. bootstrap slideshow 'I am a bit disappointed with my performance in the final... I admit the pressure was quite high and I feel I was unable to adapt to the court conditions today. 'She (Ho) played really well today. She was putting me under a lot of pressure. Every time she did that, I would just sort of go for it. Now I think maybe I should have just stayed calm in those situations,' said the 29-year-old player, who also admitted that the hot weather was a big challenge throughout the match. Malaysia's all-time great Datuk Nicol Ann David, the queen of squash who is also a nine-time Asian champion, was the last national female player to win the tournament in 2015. At the 2021 edition in Islamabad, Pakistan, Rachel's dream of winning the title was also extinguished after losing to Hong Kong player Tong Tsz Wing in the final. Even though her maiden Asian title is still elusive, Rachel is determined to continue to stay in the hunt for gold in the next edition. 'My goal is still to get the title, eventually... I am aiming towards getting a better ranking in the PSA (Professional Squash Association). I think of breaking into the top 10 in the end, that is my main goal," she said.