Pakistan’s men’s volleyball team made an impressive start to their Asian Games campaign on Sunday, defeating Kazakhstan 3-1, while Noor Zaman beat compatriot Mohammad Ashab Irfan in an all-Pakistan squash playoff as the country’s medal tally rose to four bronze medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Pakistan recovered from losing the third set to win 25-16, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20 in their Pool ‘A’ opener at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. They will next face Uzbekistan on Monday before taking on hosts Japan in their final group match.

Murad Khan was Pakistan’s leading scorer with 21 points, including 17 successful spikes and four blocks. Usman Faryad Ali contributed 14 points, Jehan Murad 11 and Musawer Khan nine as Pakistan dominated the attacking exchanges and finished with 92 total points against Kazakhstan’s 83.

Pakistan’s blocking, however, remained an area of concern, with Kazakhstan registering 10 blocks to Pakistan’s seven. The Pakistanis were nevertheless more effective in attack, converting 55 of 114 spikes compared to Kazakhstan’s 48 of 113.

The victory provides Pakistan with an early advantage in a pool that also includes Japan and Uzbekistan. Iran are the defending men’s champions, having won the previous three editions, while Pakistan’s group also contains the hosts, who will be among the contenders for the medals.

At the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, Noor completed a 3-0 victory over Ashab in the men’s singles third-place playoff, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 in 26 minutes.

The result did not alter the medal positions, with both players already assured of bronze after losing their respective semi-finals on Saturday. Their progress into the last four had ensured Pakistan’s return to the individual squash medal table after 17 years.

Noor had gone down 3-0 to Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in the semi-final, while Ashab was beaten in straight games by India’s Abhay Singh. The two Pakistanis had nevertheless produced one of the country’s strongest campaigns at the Games, reaching the semi-finals of the individual event in the same edition for the first time since 2002.

The two squash bronzes take Pakistan’s medal haul to four, alongside the bronze won by the women’s cricket team and Asim Khan’s bronze in the men’s 60kg MMA event. Pakistan had entered Sunday with two medals from the two events and added the squash medals after both players’ semi-final defeats.

There was little joy for Pakistan in fencing, however, as the men’s épée team lost 7-5 to Qatar in the table-of-16 round at the Aichi Sky Expo. Mohammad Abdulali and Baryal Waqas Khan won individual relays, but Pakistan could not overturn Qatar’s advantage.

In shooting, Rabia Kabir finished 41st in the women’s 25m pistol qualification after scoring 278-4x. Kishmala Talat, meanwhile, was listed as a non-starter. South Korea’s Yang Jiin topped the qualification with 292-11x, while Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh occupied the next two positions.

Athletics offered a brighter note through Ansar Abbas, who qualified for the men’s long jump final with a personal-best 7.28 metres. He finished seventh in the qualification, with Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov topping the standings at 8.00m and India’s Murali Sreeshankar qualifying second with 7.84m.

Pakistan’s tennis campaign, which began on Sunday, produced mixed results. Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib progressed from the men’s doubles first round with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Mongolia’s Mandakh Davaadash and Sonompuntsag Enkhjargal. The Pakistani pair dominated the match, winning 54 points to their opponents’ 23.

Mahin Aftab Qureshi, however, was eliminated from the women’s singles after losing 6-1, 6-1 to Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej. The Thai player won 54 points to Qureshi’s 24 and converted six of seven break-point opportunities.

There were one-sided defeats elsewhere too.

Muzammil Murtaza lost his first-round fixture to Jordan’s Zaid Al-Mashni 6-3, 6-2, while Ushna Sohail was routed by Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Putintseva 6-1, 6-0 in the women’s draw.

The experienced pairing of Aqeel and Ushna also came up short, losing their mixed doubles first-round tie to Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev and Zhibek Kulambayeva 6-2, 6-1.

The other Pakistani pair of Aisam Qureshi and Mahin fell by the same margin of defeat, going down to Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Shevchenko and Anna Danilina 6-3, 7-5.

The day’s volleyball success came as Pakistan’s hockey and cricket campaigns moved closer to important fixtures. The hockey side, which had opened the competition with a series of victories, suffered its first defeat of the Games against Malaysia on Saturday, going down 5-4. The team will next face Oman on Monday with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

Pakistan’s men’s cricket team will also begin its campaign on Monday when it takes on Hong Kong in the quarter-final. The side, led by Sahibzada Farhan, trained in Nisshin on Sunday but its session was affected by overnight rain and a wet outfield.

For Pakistan, the coming days will therefore carry greater medal significance. Arshad Nadeem and Mohammad Yasir are also scheduled to compete in the men’s javelin final on Monday, giving the contingent another major medal opportunity.