KARACHI: Top quartet in men’s and top three seeds in women’s crossed first hurdle as the main round of $15,000 12th DG Rangers Sindh National Squash Championship commenced at the Sindh Rangers Jahangir Khan Squash Complex on Tuesday.

While defending champion and top seed Tayyab Aslam, runner-up of the DHA Cup last month, won his match straight 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 in 24 minutes, second seed Asim Khan survived scare before getting the better of Saddam-ul-Haq in fully stretched battle 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5.

The match turned out to be the longest of the day that lasted for 52-minutes.

Asim, the quarter-finalist of the DHA Cup, crashed out in the firt round of Pakistan Open and semi-final in the CNS Open.

Third seed Ahsan Ayaz and fourth seed Israr Ahmed chalked up emphatic victories over their rivals. The former whipped qualifier Owais Rasheed 11-5, 11-1, 11-4 while the latter disposed of another qualifier Raees Khan 11-7, 11-8, 11-9.

Top three women’s Riffat Khan, Anam Aziz and Noureena Shams emerged victorious and joined by outsider Alisha Ibad who was declared winner by default as fourth seed Zoya Khalid didn’t turn up.

Riffat was home straight over qualifier Hareem Ilyas 11-0, 11-3, 11-4 while Anam whipped Sibgha Arshad 11-7, 11-2, 11-6. Noureena was extended to four games by Soaliya Rasheed before winning 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1.

Sector Commander of Sachal Rangers Brig Abdul Ghaffar graced the opening ceremony in the presence of secretary Sindh Squash Association Rashid Ahmed.

Results:

Men’s first round: Tayyab Aslam (SNGPL) bt Mehran Javed (Army) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5; Bilal Zakir (Army) bt Sikander Khan (Sindh) 11-5, 11-2, 11-4; Noman Khan (Sindh) bt Haris Iqbal (Railways) 7-11, 11-9, 11-1, 9-11, 11-6; Syed Ali Bukhari (Railways) bt Abbas Shaukat (Army) 11-9, 11-8, 11-6; Abdul Malik (Baluchistan) bt M. Naeem (Navy) 14-12, 3-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7; Saad Abdullah (Sindh) bt Naveed Rehman (Sindh) 11-2, 11-5, 5-11, 17-15; Waqar Mehboob (ZTBL) bt Rafi Khan (Sindh) 11-4, 11-8, 11-6; Ahsan Ayaz (PIA) bt Owais Rasheed (Sindh) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4; Israr Ahmed (SNGPL) bt Raees Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ) 11-7, 11-8, 11-9; M. Farhan (SNGPL) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (WAPDA) 11-9, 11-3, 4-11, 11-5; Salman Saleem (Railways) bt Chaudhry Nasir Anwar (Railways) 11-3, 11-3, 11-2; Zahir Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Junaid-ur-Rehman (Sindh) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7; Ammad Fareed (SNGPL) bt Waqas Mehboob (PAF) 13-11, 8-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-6 ; M. Uzair Rasheed (Punjab) bt M. Abdul Qadir (SNGPL) 11-8, 12-10, 11-8; Zeeshan Zeb (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt UzairShukat (Khyb er Pakhtunkhwa) 11-2, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7; Asim Khan (SNGPL) bt Saddam-ul-Haq (Army) 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5.

Women’s first round: Riffat Khan (WAPDA) bt Hareem Ilyas (Sindh) 11-0, 11-3, 11-4; Nimra Aqeel (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Neha Kamal Khan (Sindh) 11-1, 11-1, 11-3; Ilas Imran (Sindh) bt Tehrima Islman (Sindh) 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9; Komal Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Hira Aqeel (Khyner Pakhtunkhwa) 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Noor-ul- Huda (SNGPL) bt Sonia Salman (Sindh) 11-2, 11-0, 11-2; Noor-ul-Ain Ejaz (SNGPL) bt Aina Aziz (Sindh) 11-2, 11-0, 11-1; Rushana Mehboob (ZTBL) bt Maira Saleem (Sindh) 11-0, 11-5, 11-0; Alisha Ibad (Sindh) bt Zoya Khalid (Sindh) walkover; Noureena Shams (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bt Soaliya Rasheed (Sindh) 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1; Fehmina Asim (Sindh) bt Rubashia Iftikar (Sindh) 11-0, 11-1, 11-1; Zainab Khan (Sindh) bt Kainat Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7; Saima Shoukat (Wapda) bt Alina Zohra (Sindh) 11-1, 11-4, 11-2; Moqaddas Ashraf (WAPDA) bt Maheen Masood (Sindh) 11-3, 11-0, 11-5; Aiman Shahbaz (SNGPL) bt Aina Sheikh (Sindh) 11-2, 11-4, 11-4; Meyral Shaikh (Sindh) bt Nabiha Imran (Sindh) 11-6, 11-7, 11-6; Anam Aziz (Sindh) bt Sibgha Arshad (Punjab) 11-7, 11-2, 11-6.

Wednesday’s fixtures (Matches start at 12noon):

Men’s second round: Tayyab Aslam (SNGPL) vs Bilal Zakir (Army); Noman Khan (Sindh) vs Syed Ali Bukhari (Railways); Abdul Malik (Baluchistan) vs Saad Abdullah (Sindh); Waqar Mehboob (ZTBL) vs Ahsan Ayaz (PIA); Israr Ahmed (SNGPL) vs M. Farhan (SNGPL); Salman Saleem (Railways) vs Zahir Shah (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Ammad Fareed (SNGPL) vs M. Uzair Rasheed (Punjab); Zeeshan Zeb (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) vs Asim Khan (SNGPL).

Women’s second round: Riffat Khan (WAPDA) vs Nimra Aqeel (Khyber Pakkhtunkhwa); Ilas Imran (Sindh) vs Komal Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Noor-ul-Huda (SNGPL) vs Noor –ul-Ain Ejaz (SNGPL); Rushana Mehboob (ZTBL) vs Alisha Ibad (Sindh); Noureena Shams (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) vs Fehmina Asim (Sindh); Zainab Khan (Sindh) vs Saima Shoukat (Wapda); Moqaddas Ashraf (WAPDA) vs Aiman Shahbaz (SNGPL); Meyral Shaikh (Sindh) vs Anam Aziz (Sindh).

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2018