ISLAMABAD: There will be all-Pakistan battles in the men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles finals at the Yonex Sunrise Pakistan International Series badminton tournament as Mohammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti, Rizwan Azam and Palwasha Bashir all starred at the Liaquat Gymnasium on Thursday.

Irfan and Rizwan will clash for the men’s singles title on Friday while both will also team up with their partners in the doubles final. Irfan has a chance of winning a treble at the championship as he will also be in the mixed doubles final.

Palwasha, like Rizwan, will vie for two titles on Friday as she made sure of a place in the women’s singles and doubles finals.

In the men’s singles semi-finals, Irfan eased past compatriot Syed Shabbar Hussain 21-9, 21-9 while Rizwan overcame fellow countryman Mohammad Muqeet Tahir 21-13, 21-8.

Irfan then teamed up with Azeem Sarwar to beat Anjum Bashir and Amir Saeed 21-15, 21-11 in the men’s doubles last-four with Rizwan and Kashif Ali Sulehri overcoming Mohammad Atique and Awais Zahid 21-10, 21-12 in the other all-Pakistan semi-final.

Irfan and Mehmoona Ameer then made the mixed doubles final when they defeated Murad Ali and Saba Rasheed 18-21, 1-16, 21-16 with Rizwan missing the chance of a third final when he and Sara Mohammand fell 17-21, 15-21 to Nepal’s Ratnajit Tamang and Nangsal Tamang.

Tamang had earlier lost 16-21, 12-21 to Palwasha in the women’s singles semi-final. Palwasha will face compatriot Mahnoor Shahzad in the final after she overcame fellow countrywoman Saba Rasheed.

Palwasha and Mahnoor had a face-off ahead of the singles final when they faced off in the women’s doubles semi-final when the former teamed up with Saima Manzoor to defeat the latter and her partner Sara Mohammand 21-15, 21-9.

They will face Sidra Hamad and Khizra Rasheed for the title as they defeated Ghazala Saddique and Javeria Tahir 21-18, 21-18.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2016