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| October 8, 2001 | Monday | Rajab 20, 1422 |
Shahzad outguns Salman to annex trophy
LAHORE, Oct 7: Fine serves and excellent stroke play helped top seed Shahzad Khan (Faisalabad) to crush second seed Salman Bashir (Lahore) 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the boys’s singles to lift the International world ranking tennis title at the Punjab Tennis Association grass courts in Bagh-i-Jinnah Sunday.
Shahzad opted to play an aggressive game from the outset and applied relentless pressure on Salman and the later had no answer and surrendered rather tamely specially in the second set. The final lasted just under an hour.
Shahzad’s powerful forehand and backhand strokes and his accurate placements unnerved his opponent. Salman’s only significant achievement in the all-important came in the first set when he fought back from 0-5 deficit to make it 4-5.
During this purple patch Salman broke Shahzad twice in the 6th and 8th games but only to delay the inevitable.
Shahzad, coached by his elder brother Aurangzeb Khan, who is also a former national player, began strongly and led 5-0 lead in the first set.
Keeping his on serve, Shahzad broke Salman in the 1st, 3rd and 5th games. At 5-0 Shahzad attempted to return the ball near the net pulled his back muscle. Despite being in obvious discomfort he continued with great determination and eventually closed the set 6-4
Shahzad having recovered from the back muscle problems took control of the second set and swept past a bemused Salman who had no answer to his rival’s superiority in every facet of the game.
Shahzad and Salman held their first two serves in the second set. However, Shahzad, broke Salman’s fifth service game to lead 3-2. Then he held his own serve to surge ahead 4-2. Facing no opposition from a dejected and demoralised Salman, Shahzad again managed breaks in the seventh game and eighth games to finish the final on a high note. Shahzad hit nine aces and double faulted twice against Salman’s one ace and four double faults.
Boys singles final: Shahzad Khan beat Salman Bashir 6-4, 6-2.
Meanwhile the second International world junior ranking tennis championship will begin at the Punjab Tennis Association grass courts in Bagh-i-Jinnah from Monday. The first competition concluded at the same venue Sunday.
Shahzad Khan who won the first championship is the top seed of the second contest while Salman Bashir is the second seed.
Thirtytwo players will vie for the top positions in the boys section while in the girls only 11 are competing.
In the boys’ section 24 got entries on their better ranking, four got through wild card and as many are qualifier.
Those who get the wild card are Tanvir Munir, Omer Bedi-uz- Zaman, Anwar Ali and Iftikhar Ahmad.
The qualifiers are Umair Qayyum, Zaheer Haral, Talal Khan and Daanial Shahrukh.
In the qualifying round, Umair Qayyum beat Shaukat Hisham 6- 3, 6-0; Zaheerl Haral outplayed Khakid Abran 6-1, 6-0; Talal Khan brushed aside Khalid Adnan 7-5, 6-0; Daniaal Shahrukh proved too good against Haq Nasir 6-0, 6-2.
The competitions will begin at 2 pm.
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