Victorian Open 2024: Nasir Iqbal advances to qauarter-finals

KARACHI: Pakistan squash player Nasir Iqbal advanced to the quarter-finals of Victorian Open in Australia on Thursday, with a victory over third seed Nicholas Calvert from Australia.

Nasir outplayed his opponent with scores of 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 in less than half an hour during the second round. He will now face Tomo Endo from Japan in the upcoming quarter-finals.

Read more: Ashab Irfan wins Kanso Men Open Squash Championship

The Victorian Open 2024 is being held at Mulgrave CC in Melbourne from Wednesday till Sunday. Top seed Bryan Lim from Malaysia demonstrated his prowess by progressing steadily through the rounds.

In the men’s category, several matches unfolded, including an exciting encounter between Louai Hafez from Switzerland and Bryan Lim. Hafez displayed exceptional form, securing victory with scores of 11-3, 11-2, 12-10 in just 21 minutes.

Similarly, Mason Smales from Australia easily defeated Robin Gadola from Switzerland with scores of 11-6, 11-1, 11-8 in mere 19 minutes.

Other notable matches included Bradley Fullick’s hard-fought battle against Tate Norris, with Fullick prevailing after a tough 64-minute contest. Benjamin Ratcliffe from Australia faced a tough challenge from Dylan Molinaro, eventually winning a closely contested match with scores of 11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8 in 47 minutes.

Meanwhile, Miguel Mathis from Switzerland delivered a strong performance against Tomo Endo from Japan, securing victory with scores of 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 in just 22 minutes.

In the women’s category, the competition was equally fierce. Amina El Rihany from Egypt, the top seed, blazed through her mathes throughout the rounds. El Rihany showcased her skills with impressive scores of 11-0, 11-4, 11-7 against opponents such as Riffat Khan from Pakistan and Noor Ul Ain Jiaz, also from Pakistan, who displayed commendable performances in their respective matches.

Sophie Fadaely from Australia continued her strong form, advancing steadily through the rounds with victories over Noor ul Huda and Remashree Muniandy from Australia. Erin Classen from Australia won a hard-fought match against Liu Kwai Chi from Macau with scores of 11-4, 12-10, 11-9 in 22 minutes.

Read more: Asian Team Squash Championship: Pakistan beats India, advances to semifinals

The Victorian Open 2024 finals will be held on Sunday.