The USA men’s squash team has earned a hard-fought victory over hosts New Zealand to book a quarterfinal spot at the WSF Men’s World Team Championship.

Competing in the round of 16 at Tauranga’s Mercury Baypark Arena, No.5 seeds USA started well through third string Spencer Lovejoy, with the World No.69 giving his side a platform with an 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 win over Commonwealth Games athlete Temwa Chileshe.

World No.3 Paul Coll, then showcased his form to restored parity for the hosts, through a 3-0 win against Timothy Brownell.

In the crucial third match, it was USA’s Shahjahan Khan who was able to provide the telling contribution.

The 28-year-old held his nerve in an entertaining four-game contest with Lwamba Chileshe to take his side through.

“I feel play best under pressure. Playing for the team is different and gets me more motivated,” Khan said afterwards.

[5] USA v [9/12] NEW ZEALAND
Spencer Lovejoy 3-0 Temwa Chileshe: 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (36m)
Timothy Brownell 0-3 Paul Coll: 6-11, 2-11, 5-11 (32m)
Shahjahan Khan 3-1 Lwamba Chileshe: 11-4, 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 (54m)

New Zealand will play Australia today at 3pm in the Devoy Centre in a placing playoff.

USA will face Switzerland in the quarter-final after the No.4 seeds reached the last eight for the first time with a comfortable win against eight-time champions Australia.

Earlier in the day, top seeds and defending champions Egypt continued their serene progress through the competition with a straightforward win over South Africa to set up a quarter-final clash with Scotland, who qualified for the last eight for the third time in succession thanks to a rescue effort from Greg Lobban and Rory Stewart against Hong Kong, China.

England, France and Germany cruised past Malaysia, Nigeria and Canada, while Wales came through a fiery clash with Czech Republic.

The quarter-finals of the WSF Men’s World Team Championship take place today, 15 December, from 12:00 (GMT+13).

Click here to view results and draws for the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship.

The Championship features four athletes from each of the 24 competing nations, with teams going head-to-head in a best of three matches format. The draw includes eight of the top ten male athletes in the world.

World No. 3 Paul Coll headlines the New Zealand team, joined by brothers Temwa and Lwamba Chileshe, and young Auckland athlete Elijah Thomas.