Nimy, Belgium: Indian professional squash player Yash Fadte produced a spirited performance at the PSA Aramis Club Open in Belgium, bowing out in the quarterfinals after a gruelling five-game battle against Scottish No. 1 John Meehan.

Fadte had stormed into the last eight with a remarkable comeback victory over Egypt’s Omar Elkattan in the pre-quarterfinals. Trailing by two games, the Indian fought his way back into the contest and won three consecutive games to seal a thrilling 3–2 victory, 7–11, 8–11, 11–5, 11–6, 11–9.

The win set up a challenging quarterfinal against Meehan, where Fadte once again demonstrated his fighting qualities.

In an intense contest lasting 80 minutes, Fadte pushed the Scottish No. 1 all the way before narrowly losing 9–11, 11–9, 11–4, 9–11, 9–11. The closely fought fifth game underlined how little separated the two players in the decisive stages of the match.

Despite missing out on a semifinal berth, Fadte emerged from the tournament with positives, particularly his ability to recover from difficult situations and remain competitive against strong international opposition.

“It was a good tournament and I’m happy with the way I competed. Coming back from two games down against Omar was a big positive. The quarterfinal was another very tough battle and I fought until the end. There are a lot of positives to take from the tournament,” Fadte said.

The European campaign has also meant spending the festive season away from his family in India, a sacrifice Fadte sees as part of his long-term ambition of reaching the Olympic stage.

“It is difficult being away from home during the festive season. You want to be with your family, but this is part of the journey. I have a big goal of making it all the way to the Olympics, and I have to keep playing tournaments, improving and working towards qualifying,” he said.

Fadte will now travel to France for next week’s PSA 15K tournament in Brest, where he will look to carry forward the momentum from his performances in Belgium.

With squash set to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028, Fadte continues to compete across Europe, seeking valuable international exposure, ranking points and experience as he pursues his ambition of representing India on the Olympic stage.