Six-time Champions Pakistan Upset Hosts Hong Kong On Day One World Teams Thriller

The 2024 WSF World Team Championships got off to a thrilling start as six-time champions Pakistan came from behind to down the eighth-seeded hosts Hong Kong to top Pool H in the men's event.

The home crowd was given reason to celebrate by the women's team, though, with the side winning both of the ties they played.

This year's championships, which are being played at Hong Kong Football Club from 9-15 December, marks a moment in squash history, with the men's and women's championships being contested simultaneously for the first time.

The best of the action was saved until last on the indoor all-glass court, which will be the main court until the addition of a second all-glass court, which will be situated on the famous pitch of Hong Kong Football Club from the quarter-finals onwards.

Home club hero Alex Lau gave his side the lead in a tense 64-minute clash with Asim Khan, with the 28-year-old clinching the opener 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-4.

20-year-old Noor Zaman - who had starred in another Pakistan comeback earlier that day against debutants Peru - then pulled his side level with an 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 4-11, 6-11 win to put the fate of the tie in the hands of Chi Him Wong and Nasir Iqbal.

To the delight of his watching teammates, Iqbal was able to assert himself, hitting a trio of 11-5 wins to send Pakistan, without the title since 1993 and playing the championship for the first time since 2017, to the top of Pool H ahead of their final pool stage tie against Italy.

Afterwards, Iqbal said: "We are so proud to be representing Pakistan. When we get on the court we are so energetic because we are representing our country. After a long break, we are back playing and we're all giving 200 percent.

"Noor Zaman is playing so well, and then in the third match there was a lot of pressure on me."

Earlier in the day, Hong Kong's women's side impressed in front of the home crowd. With the team playing a double header in Pool F against Finland at 12:00 and Australia at 17:30, careful management was essential, with all members of the squad involved.

To the roars of the crowd, the team came through unscathed, recording convincing 3/0 wins against both to top their group.

"I thought that I wouldn't be nervous, but it is always tough playing the first matches," No.3 string Tsz-Wing Tong said afterwards.

"There is an added pressure [playing on a home court] because everyone expects us to give them a good game. I think it is more motivation though, because we rarely get to play alongside the men's team. It's a huge motivation for the team as a whole to just play our best. I think regardless of how far we go, the fans will be supporting us anyway."

In a minor seedings upset in the men's event, 17/20 seeds South Africa overcame eight-time champions and 13/16 seed Australia, with 18-year-old senior team debutant Luhann Groenewald - known for his unorthodox two-handed technique - delivering the decisive win after a win for Dewald Van Niekerk beat Joseph White and a defeat for Luhann's brother, Damian Groenewald, to Rhys Dowling.

"Any South African would tell you what a privilege it is to wear the green and gold, so playing for the South African team for the first time was a really big opportunity for me to learn and to get the experience," Luhann Groenewald said afterwards.