Pakistani Squash Players Secure Wins at AJ Memorial Championship

KARACHI: Ahsan Ayaz and Tayyab Aslam from Pakistan initiated their journey at the AJ Memorial squash tournament in Houston, USA, with triumphant victories on Thursday.

This competition pays tribute to the late Aftab Javed, a former squash icon from Pakistan, and features a total prize money of $15,000.

Victorious Matches

In the opening round, Ahsan triumphed over Gabriel from Nigeria in a match that extended to four games. The scores were 11-1, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, indicating a strong beginning for the Pakistani athlete.

Simultaneously, Tayyab achieved a straightforward victory against American player Affan Rafiq, securing his place in the subsequent round with scores of 11-6, 11-2, 12-10, without conceding a game.

Setbacks in the Tournament

However, not every Pakistani participant enjoyed success in the first round. Huzaifa Ibrahim’s journey concluded with a 3-1 defeat against Abdulrahman Nasr from Egypt.

Farhan Zaman’s highly anticipated comeback was also cut short, as he was defeated by Wei Zuan Soo from Malaysia.

Ashab Irfan, the second-seeded player from Pakistan, received a bye for the initial round and is set to commence his campaign in the second round.

Previous Accomplishments

Notably, last month, Ashab Irfan of Pakistan clinched the South Australian Open Squash Championship by defeating Duncan Lee of Malaysia in straight games during the final.

Irfan, who was the top seed, exhibited dominance throughout the match, securing an 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 victory without losing a game in the final.

This triumph signifies his second professional title this year, following his victory at the RC Pro Series 2025.

Before the tournament commenced, Ashab was ranked 62nd and received a bye in the first round.

He progressed by defeating Lee Chung from Hong Kong in the second round, followed by a thrilling 3-2 victory against Joachim Chuah from Malaysia in the third round.

Before claiming his 6th PSA title by defeating Duncan Lee in the final, he overcame fellow countryman Hamza Khan in the semi-final.