NAGOYA, Japan: Pakistan staged a strong comeback to defeat Hong Kong 2-1 and secure a place in the men’s team squash final at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday.
The trio of Noor Zaman, Ashab Irfan and Nasir Iqbal recovered from an early setback to seal victory in a closely contested semi-final.
Hong Kong take early lead
Pakistan suffered an early blow when Noor Zaman, the team’s top-ranked player, lost the opening match against Kwan Tsz Lau.
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Zaman won the first game 12-10 but Hong Kong’s Kwan responded strongly, claiming the next three games 11-3, 11-6 and 11-5 to give his team a 1-0 lead.
The defeat left Pakistan needing victories in both remaining matches to keep their final hopes alive.
Irfan restores parity
Ashab Irfan delivered a composed performance against Henry Chi Hin Leung to bring Pakistan back into the contest.
Irfan controlled the match from the start, winning in straight games with an 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 victory.
The win levelled the tie at 1-1 and set up a decisive third match.
Nasir Iqbal seals comeback
Experienced campaigner Nasir Iqbal handled the pressure of the deciding match against Nam Cheuk Lai.
Iqbal lost a closely fought opening game 12-10 but bounced back immediately, taking the next three games 11-3, 11-9 and 14-12 to complete a 3-1 victory.
His win secured Pakistan’s place in the final after a dramatic recovery from the early deficit.
Pakistan had earlier defeated South Korea 2-0 in the quarter-finals to advance to the last four.
The Green-shirts will now face the winner of the second semi-final between India and Malaysia in Friday’s final, where they will compete for the men’s team squash gold medal.
