Stern test awaits Eain Yow against world No. 1 Mostafa

PETALING JAYA: National squash player Ng Eain Yow faces a tall order of getting past world No. 1 Mostafa Asal of Egypt to equal his best result of reaching the British Open quarter-finals.

World No. 20 Eain Yow made his way into the Diamond-level tournament third round after defeating England’s world No. 26 Curtis Malik 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 in Birmingham on Sunday.

But Eain Yow’s campaign faces a stern test as he takes on top seed and reigning world champion Mostafa for a spot in the last eight today.

The Malaysian got his best result in Birmingham two years ago, reaching the quarter-finals before his run was ended by then second seed New Zealander Paul Coll.

Eain Yow will need to dig deep to find a way past Mostafa, who he has only beaten only once in four encounters.

Mostafa, who defended his World Championship title in Giza last month, defeated Hong Kong’s Alex Lau 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 in the second round as he aims to reclaim the British Open title he last won in 2024.

Meanwhile, national champion Aira Azman saw her run end in the second round as she fell to fourth seed Olivia Weaver of the United States.

World No. 22 Aira could not keep up with Weaver, who took just 20 minutes to win 11-5, 11-3, 11-3.

Their previous meeting at the Windy City Open in Chicago in February was a similar affair, with Weaver getting past Aira in straight games.