KARACHI: Hong Kong’s Wong Chi Him and local hope Nasir Iqbal advanced to the second round of the Chief of Naval Staff International Squash Championship with straightforward victories on Wednesday while Japan’s Endo Tomotaka prevailed in a five-game thriller.

In the opening match at the Roshan Khan and Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, Wong justified his higher seeding as he dominated the court against Sebastian Hofmann of the Netherlands, winning in straight games 11-4, 11-2, 11-5.

Wong’s clinical drop shots were too hot to handle for the error-strewn Hofmann. The Dutchman, struggling to find his rhythm, mistimed his shots and failed to counter Wong’s precise play.

“As I was the higher seeded player I expected to play better than him,” Wong told Dawn. “Still I need to be more consistent as Hofmann dominated me in some rallies but I was able to catch up. I would analyse my game-play a bit more and try to improve on some areas.”

Wong’s compatriot Ka, however, didn’t have an easy ride as Tomotaka edged him in a nail-biter 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 10-12, 11-3.

Endo prevailed in a closely-contested first set, utilising his reach advantage to edge out Ho. The second set was equally intense, with Endo taking it despite the ninth seeded Ho’s valiant efforts.

Ho upped the ante and solved the riddle of Endo as he clinched a well deserved game to halve the deficit, capitalising on Japanese international brief lapse in focus.

The match was tied at 2-2, with Ho leading 5-2 in the fourth set before Endo staged a remarkable comeback to level the score at 9-9. Ho’s resilience was evident as he claimed three consecutive points to level the match at 2-2.

But Endo regained his composure in the decisive game as he raced to a 5-1 lead before wrapping up a hard-fought victory.

“I know Ho is a very competitive individual as he beat me in our last three fixtures, so it’s great to register a victory against him,” the 29-year-old Endo told Dawn. “He picked up on most of my drop shots and I struggled on counter-drops so I guess that is something I can improve on.”

Nasir, meanwhile, downed a “frustrated” Darren Pragasm 11-9, 11-5, 12-10.

Nasir was cruising towards victory when he led 10-5 in the first game but Pragasam bounced back in style to cut the deficit to 10-9. Nasir was relieved when referee gave Nasir a point for obstruction — a decision against which the Malaysian protested vehemently — which sealed the game.

The second set was more comfortable for Nasir, as he showcased his superior movement and shot selection.

Although Pragasam pushed Nasir in the third set, the Pakistani emerged victorious, displaying great sportsmanship by declining a point awarded due to obstruction again.

“The last point in the first game could’ve easily been a let,” Pragasam told Dawn. “But at the end of the day these decisions can be subjective, maybe my perception was different the referee.”

But Pragasam admitted that the decision affected him.

“In the second game I was still stuck on that decision and really hindered my performance which was frustrating,” he said.

Pragasam’s fellow countryman Mohammed Syafiq Kamal though had a fine outing as he staged a brilliant comeback to defeat Egypt’s Hazem Hossam 5-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8.

Hossam won the first set with some great shot selection, building an 8-1 lead. Kamal struck back with four consecutive points, but Hossam regained control to close the set.

The second set was a thriller, with Kamal leading 8-10 before Hossam equalised and took the lead. Kamal’s clever shot towards the corner forced Hossam to miscue, levelling the score. Kamal capitalised on Hossam’s errors to take the game.

The Egyptian regained control in the third game, despite Kamal’s efforts to level the score. The fourth set saw Kamal break the pattern, taking the lead and eventually winning to level the match at 2-2.

The decisive fifth set was packed with action, as Hossam went 7-4 up before Kamal levelled the score. Hossam’s shot out of his range gave Kamal a 9-7 lead, and the Malaysian secured the victory in 69 minutes.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Bryan Tze Kang Lim and Ong Ssai Hung, Hong Kong’s Leo Chung along with England’s Will Salter also won their first-round matches.

The top seeded players were given a first-round bye.

In the women’s section, Anam Mustafa Aziz, Saima Shoukat, Rushna Mehboob, Komal Khan, Mehwish Ali and Sana Bahdour emerged victorious in their first-round clashes.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2024