Pakistan's Ashab Irfan qualifies for Johns Creek Open final

KARACHI: Pakistani squash player Ashab Irfan on Sunday qualified for the final of the ongoing Johns Creek Open Squash in the United States, while compatriot Asim Khan was ousted in the semi-finals.

In the semi-final clash of the $12,000 prize-money event, Ashab defeated Brazil's Diogo Gobbi 3-1 in a 53-minute encounter, winning the games 11-7, 14-12, 4-11, and 11-5.

Meanwhile, top-seed Asim suffered a surprise defeat against Malaysia's Nathan Chua, losing 3-1 with scores of 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, and 11-9.

Earlier on Saturday, both Pakistani players had delivered impressive performances to reach the semi-finals.

Asim overcame Egypt's Omar El Kattan 3-1 in a 46-minute quarterfinal, with game scores of 10-12, 11-3, 11-3, 13-11.

Ashab dominated Mexico's Cesar Segundo 3-0 in his quarterfinal, winning 11-3, 11-8, 11-3.

Both players had also secured their quarterfinal berths with strong second-round performances on Thursday.

Top-seed Asim defeated Egypt's Kareem Badawi 3-1 in 45 minutes (11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8), while second-seed Ashab Irfan dismantled American Christopher Gordon in just 20 minutes (11-2, 11-4, 11-4), showcasing aggressive shot-making and high-paced play.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Ahsan Ayaz and Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim were eliminated earlier. Seventh-seed Ahsan lost a five-game thriller against Omar El Kattan, falling 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11 in 58 minutes.

Huzaifa bowed out in the round of 16, defeated by Brazil’s third-seed Diego Gobbi 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 in 47 minutes, despite winning the opening game.