Iqbal & Cheng Start Season in Style with Volkswagen Bega Open Glory

Nasir Iqbal and Cheng Nga Ching have won the first events of the 2024/25 season, claiming glory at the Volkswagen Bega Open in Australia. 

As well as opening the new campaign, the 12k tournament was bringing the curtain down on a busy summer of squash in Australia, with 10 events taking place Down Under since the start of May. 

No player had enjoyed more success in that period than Pakistan’s Iqbal, who arrived here in Bega having won three of the four events he’d played, reaching the semi-finals of the other. 

A former World No.35, Iqbal had climbed back up to No.116 in the world coming into this event, and booked his spot in the final with a 3-1 win over Robin Gadola. 

But standing between him and the trophy was No.2 seed Matthew Lai of Hong Kong, a winner of two events last season. 

The players were separated by only 20 spots in the world rankings, but Iqbal would prove to be far too strong in the final. 

Having taken game one 11-6, the Pakistani player dominated from there, losing only four more points in total across the next two games, securing his fourth title in five events, capping a dominant tour of Australia. 

Cheng, meanwhile, ensured it would not be double disappointment for Hong Kong by winning the women’s title in the match that followed. 

Cheng was playing seventh seed and home favourite Sophie Fadaely, who had produced an impressive week of squash to reach her first ever Tour final, beating former World No.1 Rachael Grinham along the way. 

She found herself on the back foot early on, though, losing games one and two 11-4, 11-5, but fought back in the third to keep her hopes alive, winning it 11-9. 

The Aussie fans watching on would have been hoping to see Fadaely produce a repeat of her heroics against Grinham, when she also came back from 2-0 down, but it was not to be this time around. 

Instead, Cheng closed out victory 11-7 in the fourth, claiming the biggest title of her PSA Tour career, and her fifth overall. 

Results: 
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [2] Matthew Lai (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-3 (24m) 
[1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) bt [7] Sophie Fadaely (AUS) 3-1: 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (30m)