August 30, 2007	Thursday	Sha'aban 16, 1428

KARACHI, Aug 29: Third seed Tanveer Ashiq who has failed to make an impact so far, stunned the first leg finalist Nasir Mushtaq in three gruelling sets to cruise into the boys’ singles last four of the ITF juniors ranking tennis tournament (second leg) at the Karachi Club on Wednesday.

After making a first round exit in the previous stage by going down to the eventual champion, Nuttorn Tanchaniant, Tanveer fought vigorously ousting his opponent 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the All-Pakistan match to earn a spot in the semi-final.

Tanchainant, who annexed his maiden career title last weekend, lived up to his reputation handing a 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 defeat to India’s Nehal Kapoor.

Joining the two in the semis were the twin Sood brothers – Chandril and Lahskit – who got the better of their opponents in straight sets.

Second seed Chandril inflicted a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Sri Lanka’s Thangarajah, while fifth seed Lakshit sent compatriot Gugan Varma packing 6-4, 6-1.

Tanveer is drawn to face Chandril while Lakshit will be up against Tanchainant in the two semi-finals on Thursday.

Ranked 879 in the world, the fourth seed Sarah Mahboob has overcome complacency by joining the top four fray after she struggled to beat Anushka Kapoor from India 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The top three seeds, as expected, also fought their way into the last four by winning their respective matches.

Top seed Jithmie was extended to three sets on her way to registering a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Spanish Carol Benito. Second seed Inayat prevailed 6-1, 6-4 over Richa while third seed Soniya downed Asha 6-1, 6-4.

Sarah takes on Jithmie while Inayat meets Soniya in the two semi-finals on Thursday.

Results:

Boys’ singles quarter-finals: Lakshit Sood (Ind) bt Thangarajah (Sri Lanka) 6-2, 6-3; Tanveer Ashiq (Pak) bt Nasir Mushtaq (Pak) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Chandril Sood (Ind) bt Gugan Varma (Ind) 6-4, 6-1; Nuttorn Tanchainant (Thai) bt Nehal Kapoor (Ind) 6-2, 0-6, 6-2.Girls’ singles quarter-finals: Sarah Mahboob (Pak) bt Anushka Kapoor (Ind) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; Inayat Khosla (Ind) bt Richa Valecha (Ind) 6-1, 6-4; Soniya Dayal (Ind) bt Asha Mohan (Ind) 6-1, 6-4; Jithmie Jayawickrema (Sri Lanka) bt Carol Benito (Spain) 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.

Boys’ doubles pre quarter-finals: Sai Kartick/Sivasubramanian bt Abid Ali/Thangarajah 6-0, 6-2; Mandeep Yadav/Gurmohit Singh bt Chandam Shaolin/Wasin Wijaya 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Jugal Marfatia/Sumeet Shinde bt Sameer Iftikhar/Ali Asgher Bandeali 6-2, 6-2; Nehal Kapoor/Gugan Varma bt Waqas Malik/Sadanul Haq 6-3, 6-4; Nuttorn Tanchainant/Dussadee Darakamas bt Khurram Nazir/Omer Babar 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Ahmed Aslam/Kaza Sharma bt Dody Barani/Heera Ashiq 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Tanveer Ashiq/Yasir Khan bt Nasir Mushtaq/Sunil Michael 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

Girls’ doubles quarter-finals: Sarah Khan/Jithmie Jayawickrema bt Natasha Afridi/Anoosha Aslam 6-3, 6-1; Susita Das/Anushka Kapoor bt Mehreen Izhar/Ushna Suhail 6-2, 6-2; Richa Velecha/Dipti Shrivastava bt Asha Mohan/Sindhura Polavarapu 7-5, 7-6 (2); Soniya Dayal/Inayat Khosla bt Carol Benito/Ratnika Batra 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.

Thursday’s fixtures:

Boys’ singles semi-finals 9.30am; girls’ singles semi-finals 11.00am; boys’ doubles 11.30am; girls’ doubles 1.00pm.