August 14, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 29, 1428

KARACHI, Aug 13: Top seed M. Usman of Islamia Club lived up to his potential when he edged second seed Ahsan Asad of Karachi Gymkhana in straight sets to claim boys singles crown in ranking table tennis tournament at Rangers Sports Complex on Monday.

He took just 20 minutes to dispose off his opponent 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 to keep his billing intact.

The junior international who has represented the country at Dubai Open two years back and South Asian junior contest in India last year maintained his fine record by winning all the matches in straight sets.

It was only Ahsan who came close to extending him by giving tough time in the opener but could not succeed.

Second seed Ayesha Jalil Khan, the reigning national under-18 champion, created quite a stir when she upset top seed Maliha Khurshid by three sets to one to win girls title.

She dropped the third set to post 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 victory over her opponent in 30-minutes.

Both the finalists are among eight girls who have been picked by the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) for the coming ITTF juniors’ circuit being held in India from Sept 12 to 15.

The PTTF is also financing an equal number of boys for the Indian trip.

The winners received a purse of Rs10,000 while runners up fetched a sum of Rs5,000 besides trophies from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah who graced the occasion.

Results: (finals):

Boys singles: M. Usman bt Ahsan Asad 12-10, 11-4, 11-4.

Girls singles: Ayesha Jalil Khan bt Maliha Khurshid 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6.