KARACHI: Prodigy Tabish Khurshid sent shock waves by upsetting former national champion Saleem Abbas in the men’s singles as all Pakistan Masters Cup table tennis tournament commenced at the Majeed Khan’s Gymnasium of Islamia Club on Saturday.

The 17th ranked Tabish, a pupil of former international and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) course conductor Arif Khan, played best match of his career while accounting for top seed Saleem in four games 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 to register his second victory. In an earlier match, he blanked Waqas Ayoub 12-10, 11-6, 11-2.

Saleem heads the men’s singles seedings in the absence of country’s top ranking player Asim Qureshi, who has choose to stay away due to fitness problem,

Another player who has skipped the men’s event is national champion Ali Faisal as he has gone abroad. A. H. Bhatti and M. Arbeel have been inducted as replacements by the organisers.

Similarly, Ayesha Fahim and Yasmeen Akhtar have come in place of second ranked Raheela Kashif and 10th ranked Qurat-ul-Ain in the top 16 of women’s singles.

The Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) plans to conduct four to six Masters Cup across the country this year, its president, S. M. Sibtain, told Dawn.

Two-time former national champion Hanif Mohammad, who is here on a private visit from Los Angeles, inaugurated the event which is billed as the toughest competition of the calendar.

Hanif had won the successive titles in 1967 and 1968 besides finishing runner-up in 1966 and 1969.

Besides the PTTF chief and the chief guest the ceremony was largely attended by by former players including Azhar Fasih, Anwar Hussain, Mazher Qureshi, Shams-ul-Haq, Vino Advani, M. Ibrahim, Sohail Karimi, Javed Hayat, Sohail Hayat, Arif Nakhuda, Arif Khan, Rubina Arif, Seema Kaleem, Nazo Tahir, Farzana Feroz, Sindh Sports Board consultant Musheer Rabbani, Sindh Table Tennis Association (STTA) secretary Saleem Ahmed, PTTF officials Kifayatullah Khan (Peshawar), Punjab Table Tennis Association president Shahid Akhtar Baloch and secretary Chaudhry Khalid Mahmood.

Results:

Men’s Singles:

Group League first stage:

Shujat Ali (Wapda) bt A.H. Bhatti (Sindh) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5; Saleem Abbas (Wapda) bt M. Arbeel 11-8, 11-7, 11-6; Tabish Khurshid (Sindh) bt Waqas Ayoub (Islamabad) 12-10, 11-6, 11-2; Bilal Yasin (Wapda) bt M. Saqib (Sindh) 11-2, 11-4, 11-6; Atta Abbas (Sindh) bt M. Hamza (Punjab) 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8; Rameez Khan (Wapda) bt Akbar Shah (Sindh) 11-5, 11-8, 12-10; M. Afzal (Punjab) bt Mehdi Raza (Sindh) 12-10, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7; Omer Zaka (Islamabad) bt Hassan Omer (Sindh) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7; Abdur Rahim (Wapda) bt Hassan Haider (Sindh) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6; Salman Virk (Railways) bt Faryal Minhas (Wapda) 11-3, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8; Kamran Sarang (Sindh) bt Azhar Khurshid (Sindh) 11-6, 11-6, 11-6; Tariq Aziz (Islamabad) bt Salman Shahid (Sindh) 11-9, 11-7, 11-7; Hamza Godil (Sindh) bt Raheel Qureshi (Sindh) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8; Bilal Tariq (Sindh) bt Asim Aziz ((Choromatex) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 11-8; Yasir Bhatti (Railways) bt Salman Saleem (HEC) 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 6-11, 11-3; Shujat Ali (Wapda) bt Atta Abbas (Sindh) 11-6, 11-3, 11-9; Fahim Raza (Wapda) bt Aahil Shah (Sindh) 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3; M. Hamza (Punjab) bt A.H. Bhatti (Sindh) 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7; Tabish Khurshid (Sindh) bt Saleem Abbas (Wapda) 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9; M. Arbeel (Punjab) bt Waqas Ayoub (Islamabad) 10-12, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6; Bilal Yasin (Wapda) bt Mehdi Raza (Sindh) 11-4, 11-3, 11-3; Faryal Minhas (Wapda) bt Salman Shahid (Sindh) 11-7, 11-2, 11-6; M. Afzal (Punjab) bt M. Saqib (Sindh) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9; Abdul Rahim (Wapda) bt Akbar Shah (Sindh) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2; Rameez Khan (Wapda) bt Hassan Haider (Sindh) 14-12, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9; Salman Virk (Railways) bt Tariq Aziz (Islamabad) 11-5, 14-12, 16-14; Omer Zaka (Islamabad) bt Azhar Khurshid (Sindh) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8; Bilal Tariq (Sindh) bt Raheel Qureshi (Sindh) 11-4, 11-9, 11-3; Kamran Sarang (Sindh) bt Hassan Omer (Sindh) 11-9, 11-4, 11-9; Asim Aziz (Choromatex) bt Hamza Godil (Sindh) 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-8; Yasir Bhatti (Railways) bt Aahil Shah (Sindh) 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 11-6; Fahim Raza (Wapda) bt Salman Saleem 13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-3.

Women’s Singles:

Group League first stage:

Shabnam Bilal (HBL) bt Yasmeen Akhtar (Punjab) 11-6, 11-3, 11-4; Sadia Raheel (HBL) bt Farwa Arif (Punjab) 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7; Ghalia Mohsin (HBL) bt Sanam Yasin (Wapda) 11-8, 13-11, 11-7; Maliha Khurshid (HBL) bt Sidra Sattar (Wapda) 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7; Loiza Irshad (Wapda) bt Farah Ilyas (HEC) 11-6, 11-9, 11-3; Ayesha Iqbal (Wapda) bt Ayesha Fahim (Wapda) 11-13, 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5; Tayyaba Suleman (Wapda) bt Abeera Ali (Sindh) 11-4, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7; Sobia Faryal (Wapda) bt Haleema Ali (Sindh) 11-7, 11-3, 11-8; Shabnam Bilal (HBL) bt Farwa Arif (Punjab) 11-7, 11-4, 11-5; Sadia Raheel (HBL) bt Yasmeen Akhtar (Punjab) 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5; Ghalia Mohsin (HBL) bt Sidra Sattar (Wapda) 14-16, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9; Ayesha Iqbal (Wapda) bt Farah Ilyas (HEC) 11-7, 11-7, 11-6; Sanam Yasin (Wapda) bt Maliha Khurshid (HBL) 4-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7; Loiza Irshad (Wapda) bt Ayesha Fahim (Wapda) 11-3, 11-4, 13-11; Tayyab Suleman (Wapda) bt Haleema Ali (Sindh) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3; Abeera Ali (Sindh) bt Sobia Faryal (Wapda) 12-10, 11-7, 13-11.

Sunday’s fixtures:

At 10am: Men’s and women’s team event.

At 5pm: Men’s and women’s playoff matches.

At 6.30pm: Men’s singles quarter-finals At 8.30pm: Women’s singles semi-finals.

Published in Dawn February 15th , 2015

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