PESHAWAR, Dec 29: Arch-rivals HBL and Wapda setup the final showdown in the women’s team event of the 45th National table tennis championship being played here at the PSB Coaching Centre on Saturday.

The matches recommenced after a two-day break due to the the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto.

In the team events, earlier, defending champions HBL defeated the strong Punjab-A team in straight sets. Top seed and Pakistan No.1 Ghalia Khursheed defeated Yasmin 11-13, 11-4, 11-3 and 11-2. Ghalia lost the first set against Yasmin as both stretched to 13-11 before levelling the set at 7-7, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11.

In the second singles, Shabnum beat Mobeena by 3-0, the score being 11-3, 11-6 and 11-4 while in the third singles Sadia beat Madiha 11-4, 2-11, 14-12 and 11-5.

In the second semi-final, Wapda faced tough resistance from the Pakistan Army team. The match was finally decided in a three-set battle. Sadia Falaksher beat Rubab Alam 11-9, 11-9, 9-11 and 11-8, Luiza Irshad beat Seemab Alam, elder sister of Rubab Alam, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11 and 11-5 while in the last single of the best of five matches, Aisha Iqbal beat Yasmin Hanif 11-3, 11-8, 17-19 and 11-7.

In the men’s team event, defending champions Wapda, HBL, Punjab-A and Punjab-B took berth in the semi-finals after recording victories against their respective rivals in the quarter-finals.

In the first quarter-finals, Wapda beat Pakistan Railways by 3-0, Asim Qureshi beat Awais Hussain 11-5, 11-3 and 11-5, Pakistan No.1 Bilal Yasin beat Suleman Virk 11-7, 11-3, 9-11, 6-11 and 11-8. Meanwhile Ali Faisal beat Rameez Khan 3-0, the score being 11-6, 11-3, and 11-7.

In the second quarter-final, HBL beat Sindh by 3-0. Shahzad Waseem, Yasir Bhutti, Asim Aziz beat Asim Hussain, Atta Abbas and Naved Nazir in straight sets to move into the semi-finals.

In the third quarter-final, Punjab-A beat PWD by 3-1. Shujat Ali lost to Asif Razaq 11-8, 11-5, 11-7, Arshad Tehsin beat Mohsin Raza 3-1, the score being 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, Farooq Mustafa beat Nadir Sohail 11-8, 11-8 and 11-6 and in the reverse singles Arshad beat Asif Razaq 8-11, 11-6, 11-3 and 11-5.

In the last quarter-final Punjab-B beat HEC by 3-0. Asim beat Mubashir 11-6, 14-16, 13-11, 11-9, Rafiq Sarhadi beat Awais Ahmed 7-11, 11-6, 11-4 and Abdul Rahim beat Amar Ali 11-9, 12-10 and 11-9.—APP