PESHAWAR: Defending U-13 champion Asadullah overwhelmed Hamza Zahid in a marathon five-game quarter-final at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Junior Squash Championship here on Friday.

The match started at a fast pace as both Asadullah and Hamza gave each other very tough fight.

Showing better skills and temperament, Asadullah won the first two games 11-7 and 12-10 but failed to maintain the show in the third and fourth games, which were claimed by Hamza 10-12 and 11-13.

It was in the fifth and decisive game when Asadullah came back strongly and succeeded in toppling his Hamza 12-10 to bag the thrill-packed match.

In the other U-13 quarter-finals, Talha Iqbal beat Afaq Khan 11-7, 11-6, 11-8; second seed Noor Zaman downed Huzaifa Zahid 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6; and Hammad overcame Ghulam Mohammad 11-8, 11-9, 11-6.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Ammad, Waleed Khalil, Raheem Abbas and Hamza Khan qualified for the U-11 semi-finals after winning their respective quarter-finals.

No.1 Ammad outplayed Rohaid Khan 11-9, 11-8, 11-9; Waleed outclassed Mutahir Ali 11-8, 11-7, 11-9; Abbas blanked Raheem Abbas 11-9, 11-6, 11-4; and Hamza beat Humam Ahmed 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2016