ISLAMABAD: In the men’s singles event of the Fauji Fertilizer Company Open National Ranking Tennis Championship, Pakistan No. 1 and Davis Cup player Aqeel Khan along with seeded players Yasir Khan and Mohammad Abid after defeating their opponents moved into the semi-finals here on Wednesday.

Abid Ali Akbar and Heera Ashiq won their pre-quarter-finals by beating Kashan-ul-Haq and Babar Ali Akbar, respectively, in straight sets.

Aqeel eliminated Usman Rafiq 6-0, 6-3. The winner was in suburb form as he took the first set without conceding a single game. He took the second set 6-3.

Whereas, second seed Mohammad Abid beat Mohammad Mudasir 6-3, 6-4 and third seed Yasir Khan outplayed Imran Shaukat 6-0, 6-1.

In the ladies singles matches, Sara Mansoor, Sara Mahboob Khan, Ushna Suhail and Gen Shahida Badshah qualified for the semi-finals by beating their respective opponents.

On Thursday, Sara Mansoor will play against Ushna Suhail whereas Sara Mahboob Khan will play against Shahida Badshah.

In the boys’ under-18 event, Yousaf Khan, Saqib Umar, Ibrahim Iltifat and Aman Atiq moved into the semi-finals.

Saqib Umar made another major upset by beating sixth seed Talha Bin Asif in a well-contested three-set match.

Aman Atiq also made a major upset when he defeated second seed Hamza Bin Asif in straight sets.

Similarly, in the boys’ under-14 competition, top seed Huzaifa Abdul Rehman, Hamza Bin Rehan, Aqib Umer and Shoaib Khan qualified for the semi-finals by beating their respective opponents.

While in the men’s doubles quarter-finals, Aqeel Khan and Abid Ali Akbar thrashed Shahzad and Shahid Afridi 6-2, 6-3.

Results:

Men’s singles:

Quarter-finals: Aqeel Khan bt Usman Rafiq 6-0, 6-3; Yasir Khan bt Imran Shaukat 6-0, 6-1; Mohammad Abid bt Mohammad Mudasir 6-2, 6-3.

Pre-quarter-finals: Abid Ali Akbar bt Kashan-ul-Haq 6-2, 6-0; Heera Ashiq bt Babar Ali Akbar 6-2, 7-5.

Men’s doubles:

Quarter-finals: Yasir Khan / Heera Ashiq bt Arham Atiq / Abdal Haider 6-1, 7-6(4); M. Mudasir / M. Muzamil bt Sikandar Hayat / Major Adnan 6-3, 6-4; Aqeel Khan / Abid Ali Akbar bt Shahzad / Shahid Afridi 6-2, 6-3; M. Abid / Usman Rafiq bt Umair Qayyum / Babar Ali 2-6, 7-6 (10-3).

Ladies Singles:

Quarter-finals: Sara Mansoor bt Raymal Ahmed Mumtaz 6-0, 6-0; Ushna Suhail walkover against Shagufta Mahboob; Gen Shahida Badshah bt Mahum Irkin 6-0, 6-0; Sara Mahboob Khan bt Shavon 6-0, 6-0.

Boys’ U-18 singles:

Quarter-finals: Yousaf Khan bt Hafiz Arbab Ali 6-2, 6-2; Saqib Umar bt Talha bin Asif 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; Ibrahim Iltifat bt Asadullah 7-6(4), 7-6(2); Aman Atiq bt Hamza bin Asif 6-3, 6-2.

Boys’ U-14 singles:

Quarter-finals: Huzaifa Abdul Rehman bt Mustafa Khan 6-0, 6-0; Hamza Bin Rehan bt Abdullah Adnan 6-4, 6-2; Aqib Umar bt Sami Zaib 7-6, 6-2; Shoaib Khan bt Jasir Manzoor 6-1, 6-0.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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