Pakistan’s Ashab Irfan Beats India’s Chotrani to Reach Asian Games Semis
NAGOYA, JAPAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan’s Muhammad Ashab Irfan produced a commanding performance against India’s Veer Chotrani, winning 3-1 to advance to the men’s singles squash semi-finals at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Irfan defeated his Indian opponent 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-3 in Friday’s quarter-final, recovering immediately after dropping the second game to dominate the final two.
The Pakistani started strongly and took the opening game 11-6 before Chotrani responded by winning the second 11-8 to level the match at one game apiece.
Irfan then seized control.
He allowed Chotrani just three points in the third game, winning 11-3, before producing another 11-3 victory in the fourth to complete a 3-1 quarter-final win and secure his place in the last four.
Irfan Continues Impressive Asian Games Run
The result extends an impressive Asian Games campaign for Irfan, who had not dropped a game before Friday’s quarter-final.
He opened his individual campaign by defeating Lebanon’s Jason Karam 11-2, 11-3, 11-0, completing a straight-games victory in just 18 minutes.
Irfan followed that performance with another 3-0 victory in the round of 16, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Nasfan 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 to qualify for the quarter-finals.
That set up Friday’s high-profile Pakistan-India encounter with Chotrani.
The Indian had reached the last eight after surviving a demanding five-game contest against Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva, winning 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 15-17, 11-6.
Irfan, however, proved too strong in the quarter-final, particularly in the final two games.
Important Result for Pakistan Squash
Irfan’s progress gives Pakistan another major opportunity in a sport in which the country has a celebrated international history.
Pakistan entered Friday with multiple squash players still competing in the Asian Games.
Noor Zaman had also advanced to the men’s singles quarter-finals after beating Kuwait’s Ammar Altamimi 3-0, while the mixed doubles combination of Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali reached the last eight after defeating Japan’s Erisa Sano and Naoki Hayashi.
The Pakistan Squash Federation confirmed before Friday’s matches that Irfan, Noor and the Asim-Mehwish pair had all qualified for their respective quarter-finals at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Irfan’s victory over Chotrani now takes him one stage further.
Medal Wording Requires Caution
Some initial reports described Irfan’s semi-final qualification as guaranteeing Pakistan a medal. However, tournament-format reporting indicates that losing semi-finalists in the individual squash competition are required to contest a third-place playoff, rather than automatically receiving bronze.
For that reason, the safest publication wording is that Irfan has reached the Asian Games semi-finals and moved within one victory of the final, rather than stating unequivocally that a medal has already been secured.
The distinction is important because older Asian Games formats have awarded bronze medals to both losing semi-finalists, while reporting on the 2026 competition indicates a separate bronze-medal match.
Pakistan-India Rivalry Adds Interest
The quarter-final carried additional attention because it brought together players from Pakistan and India, whose sporting contests regularly attract significant audiences across South Asia.
However, Irfan’s progression was built on a straightforward sporting performance: after Chotrani levelled the contest, the Pakistani conceded only six points across the final two games.
His 3-1 victory maintains Pakistan’s strong start to the squash programme in Nagoya and places him among the final four players in the men’s individual competition.
The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 opened on September 19 and will continue until October 4, with squash competition taking place at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Irfan will now turn his attention to the semi-final as Pakistan continues its pursuit of an Asian Games squash medal.
