Hosts beat South Korea in men’s final; Hong Kong dethrone Malaysia in women’s event
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan clinched men’s title at the 23rd Asian Team Squash Championships 2026, defeating South Korea 2-0 in the final, while Hong Kong China captured the women’s crown with a 2-1 victory over defending champions Malaysia at the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad.
Pakistan produced a commanding performance in the men’s final, with Noor Zaman and Muhammad Asim Khan securing straight game victories to give the hosts the gold medal.
Noor Zaman defeated South Korea’s Jeongmin Ryu 11-5, 11-7, 13-11, overcoming a late challenge in the third show to complete a convincing 3-0 win.
Muhammad Asim Khan then sealed the championship for Pakistan with an equally dominant 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 victory over South Korea’s Seojin Oh.
The victory marked a major achievement for Pakistan, which finished on top of the men’s podium, with South Korea settling for silver.
Malaysia and Hong Kong China shared the bronze medals in the men’s competition, while Iran finished fifth and Uzbekistan sixth.
In the women’s event, Hong Kong China overcame Malaysia in a closely contested final to take the championship, ending the defending champions’ hopes of retaining their title.
Hong Kong China’s To Lee Mung Toby gave her team an early boost, defeating Malaysia’s Lee Eixen Ying 3-1.
Her teammate Chan Sin Yuk extended the advantage with another 3-1 victory, overcoming Malaysia’s Ainaa Amani to put Hong Kong China within touching distance of the title.
Malaysia fought back through Yashmita Jadish Kumar, who defeated Hong Kong China’s Lee Ka Yi 3-1. However, the victory was not enough to prevent Hong Kong China from securing the overall 2-1 triumph.
Hong Kong China claimed the women’s gold medal, while Malaysia took silver. Iran and South Korea shared the bronze medals.
Pakistan’s women’s team finished fifth after losing their fourth-place playoff against South Korea 3-0.
South Korea dominated the contest, with Dami Kim defeating Pakistan’s Sehrish Ali in straight games. Min Gyeon Hyu then beat Sana Bahadur 3-1 before Hwayoung Eum completed the clean sweep with a 3-0 victory over Mahnoor Ali.
The Asian Squash Federation’s vice president Adel Jassim Al-Ghareeb attended the closing ceremony. Also present were Pakistan Squash Federation’s (PSF) senior vice-president Air Vice Marshal Sohail Akbar, vice-president Qamar Zaman, and former squash champions Gogi Alauddin and Jansher Khan.