Panaji: Yash Fadte’s campaign at the PSA Aramis Club Open in Nimy, Belgium, ended at the quarterfinal stage after another strong showing against top international opposition.Fadte booked his place in the last-eight stage with a thrilling 3-2 comeback win against Egyptian Omar Elkattan. After losing the opening two games, Fadte fought back strongly to win the next three and seal the match at 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9.The victory earned Fadte a quarterfinal meeting with Scottish no. 1 John Meehan, setting up another challenging encounter against a higher-ranked opponent.Fadte battled for 80 minutes in a gruelling quarterfinal, pushing Meehan throughout the contest before eventually going down fighting 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11.The Indian showed considerable resilience throughout the tournament, particularly with his comeback from two games down in the previous round and his ability to stay competitive against the Scottish star in the quarterfinals.“It was a good tournament and I’m happy with the way I competed,” said Fadte. “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.”Held during the festive season, Fadte has had to continue his professional campaign away from home.“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 to the Olympics, and I have to keep playing tournaments, improving and working towards qualifying,” said Fadte.Fadte will now turn his attention to France, where he will compete next week in the PSA 15K tournament in Brest. He will look to build on his performance in Belgium as he continues his campaign on the PSA World Tour.With Olympics 2028 firmly in his sights, Fadte is continuing to compete across Europe, gain valuable experience defeating higher-ranked opponents and climb the rankings in his pursuit of representing India in Los Angeles.
