Pakistan Starts Strong at the Asian Squash Championships

Pakistan’s top squash duo, Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal, made an impressive start to their campaigns at the 2025 Asian Squash Championships, progressing to the pre-quarterfinals of the individual event after confident opening victories in Kuching, Malaysia.

After receiving byes in the opening round, both players justified their seeding with dominant performances. The tournament’s 5th seed Noor Zaman needed four games to beat Singapore’s Aaron-Jon Widjaja Liang, winning 11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3 to seal his place in the last 16. He will take on the hometown hero, Joachim Chuah, in the next round.

The 7th seed Nasir Iqbal, meanwhile, delivered a clinical display against South Korea’s Jaejin Yoo, breezing through with a straight-games win: 11-5, 11-2, 11-4. He will either face Malaysia’s Wasern Low or Hong Kong China’s Lai Cheuk Nam in the pre-quarterfinals.

The victories mark a positive beginning for Pakistan in the individual leg of the championship, which runs from June 17 to 21. With the field narrowing and tougher tests ahead, both Noor and Nasir will look to build on their early momentum as they eye deep runs in the knockout rounds and aim to capture Pakistan’s tenth individual title in the competition.

Following the singles event, the pair will shift focus to the Asian Team Squash Championship, also scheduled in Kuching from June 23 to 26. Pakistan has been placed in Group B for the doubles tournament, drawn alongside the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarterfinals.

With the team championships on the horizon and early success in the singles bracket, Pakistan’s squash campaign in Malaysia is off to a promising start.