Pakistan’s Asim Khan, Ashab Irfan reach final of Mile High 360 Squash Classic

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Muhammad Asim Khan and Muhammad Ashab Irfan achieved their places in the final of the Mile High 360 Squash Classic after winning their semifinal matches earlier on Saturday.

Khan overcame fellow Pakistani Noor Zaman in a dramatic five-game contest, coming from two games down to win 6-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-2 in 96 minutes.

He staged a remarkable comeback after losing the first two games, saving match points in the third game to stay alive before dominating the final two sets.

In the other semifinal, Irfan cruised to a 3-0 victory over England’s third-seeded Tom Walsh, winning 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 in 46 minutes.

Irfan’s aggressive play gave Walsh little opportunity to respond as he swiftly advanced to the final.

The final will feature an all-Pakistani clash between Khan and Irfan.

Earlier, Khan faced a challenging quarter-final against second seed Cesar Salazar of Mexico. After taking a 2-1 lead, Salazar retired in the fourth game, handing Khan victory with a final scoreline of 12-10, 2-11, 11-7, and 11-0.

On the other side, as Khan defeated India’s Veer Chotrani, Irfan produced a strong showing against Dillon Huang of the United States.