Houston, Eain Yow has a problem – and it’s Ashab

PETALING JAYA: Pakistan-born squash player Mohd Ashab Irfan has emerged as a new threat at the expense of Ng Eain Yow of Malaysia.

The 21-year-old Ashab stole the show by defeating national No. 1 Eain Yow 11-7, 8-11, 4-11, 11-8, 14-12 in a thrilling 73-minute match in the second round of the Texas Open at the Houston Squash Club on Friday.

Ashab has been based in Houston, the United States, and drew energy from the crowd who were rallying behind him.

It was his first Gold-level quarter-final appearance, and he admitted that getting past a higher-ranked Eain Yow was no easy feat.

“It was intense, but I’m proud of myself. Obviously, Eain Yow is a very hard player to play against; he’s among the top,” said Ashab.

“But to win in my home club is amazing. When you look out of the court and see the crowd cheering you on and supporting you, it’s huge.

“To reach my first Gold quarter-final at my home club is a big deal for me.”

It was the first time both players had met, with eighth seed Eain Yow receiving a first-round bye while Ashab had advanced after beating Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi in straight sets.

But Ashab now has a bigger task ahead of him as he meets top seed Peruvian Diego Elias in the quarter-finals.

Eain Yow will move on to the New Zealand Open next month, and will be hoping to see improvements.

The 28-year-old has not made it past the quarter-finals in any tournaments this year since the last four finish at the Open Squash Classic in New York in October.