Pakistan\u2019s squash players Ashab Irfan and Asim Khan delivered impressive performances to book their places in the semifinals of the ongoing Johns Creek Open in the United States. Top seed Asim Khan battled past Egypt\u2019s Omar El Kattan, sealing a 3\u20131 victory in 46 minutes. After conceding the opening game 10\u201312, Khan staged a strong comeback to dominate the next three games 11\u20133, 11\u20133, and 13\u201311. Ashab Irfan, on the other hand, eased into the last four with a straight-games win over Mexico\u2019s Cesar Segundo, wrapping up the match 11\u20133, 11\u20138, 11\u20133 in commanding style. With these victories, both Pakistani players advanced to the semifinals of the $12,000 prize money tournament. Earlier on Thursday, Asim and Ashab had secured their quarterfinal spots with confident second-round wins. Top seed Asim defeated Egypt\u2019s Kareem Badawi 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8 in a 45-minute battle. The Pakistani star dominated the opening two games with precise length and controlled rallies before Badawi fought back to claim the third. Second seed Ashab Irfan produced a commanding performance to dismantle the United States\u2019 Christopher Gordon in just 20 minutes, winning 11-2, 11-4, 11-4. Ashab\u2019s aggressive shot-making and high pace left the American struggling to find any rhythm. However, seventh seed Ahsan Ayaz\u2019s campaign ended in a gripping five-game contest against Egypt\u2019s Omar ElKattan. Ahsan took the opening game 11-4 but narrowly lost the second 12-10 and the third 11-9. He levelled the match by winning the fourth 11-8, yet ElKattan held his nerve in the decider to prevail 11-8 after 58 minutes of intense play. Pakistan\u2019s Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim also bowed out in the round of 16, falling to Brazil\u2019s third seed Diego Gobbi 9-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 in 47 minutes. Huzaifa started strongly by claiming the first game but was unable to maintain the momentum against Gobbi\u2019s pace and consistency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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