ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Shoaib Khan caused a major upset on Wednesday when he defeated top seed Daniel Webb in the boys singles quarter-final of the ITF Pakistan Junior World Ranking Tennis Championship second leg here at the S. Dilawar Abbas PTF Complex on Wednesday.

Fifth seed Shoaib overwhelmed the Briton in the match lasting three hours and 15 minutes.

In an exciting opening set, the score was 5-5 before Webb claimed it 7-5. Making a comeback, Shoaib took a 3-1 lead in the second set by breaking the third game of Webb who committed two double faults.

In a seesaw battle, Webb moved ahead 5-3 by breaking the sixth and eighth games of his opponent. Shoaib raised his game to make it 5-5 all by breaking ninth game of Webb as the set went into tiebreak. The Pakistani player which eventually won the set 7-4 after trailing 2-4 in the tiebreak.

Now in full control, Shoaib comfortably bagged the set 6-1 by breaking the third, fifth and seventh games of Webb, and with it the match.

Second seed Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat eighth seed and compatriot Kamil Ahmed 6-4, 6-2. Third seed Kim Min-Joon of South Korea proved too good for Pakistan’s Saqib Hayat as the former won the match 6-3, 6-2. The winner faces Huzaifa in the semi-final.

In the last boys singles quarter-final, South Korea’s Kang Gunuk overcame Mohammad Nauman Aftab of Pakistan 6-1, 6-1. The Korean meets Shoaib in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Aysegul Mert, Choi Ji-Woo of South Korea, Russia’s Valitova Arina and unseeded Jang Soo Ha of South Korea reached the girls singles semi-finals by eliminating their respective opponents in straight sets.

Aysegul faces Chio while Valitova takes on Jang in the last-four stage.

Results:

Boys singles (quarter-finals): Shoaib Khan (Pakistan) bt Daniel Webb (Great Britain) 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-1; Kang Gunuk (South Korea) bt Mohammad Nouman Aftab (Pakistan) 6-1, 6-1; Min-Joon Kim (South Korea) bt Saqib Hayat (Pakistan) 6-3, 6-2; Huzaifa Abdul Rehman (Pakistan) bt Kamil Ahmed (Pakistan) 6-4, 6-2

Girls singles (quarter-finals): Aysegul Mert (Turkey) bt Cheraghi Dorsa (Iran) 6-2, 6-3; Choi Ji-Woo (South Korea) bt Thouard Clemence (France) 6-1, 6-2; Valitova Arina (Russia) bt Khanloo Mahta (Iran) 6-0, 6-1; Jang Soo Ha (South Korea) bt Elmas Leyla Nilufer (Turkey) 6-2, 6-2

Boys doubles (quarter-finals): Ksese Luca Emanuel (Germany)/Daniel Webb (Great Britain) bt Sami Zeb Khan (Pakistan)/Tootoonchi Moghadam (Iran) 7-5, 7-6(3)

Girls doubles (quarter-final): Cheraghi Dorsa (Iran)/Shen Hannah Kaile (Hong Kong) bt Abas Aliya (MDA)/Thouard Clemence (France) 6-4, 4-6, 10-7

Girls doubles (semi-finals): Khanloo Mahta (Iran)/Safi Meshkatolzahra (Iran) bt Aysegul Mert (Turkey)/Elmas Leyla Nilufer (Turkey) 6-3, 2-6, 10-3; Choi Ji-Woo (South Korea)/Jang Soo Ha (South Korea) bt Cheraghi Dorsa (Iran)/Shen Hannah Kaile (Hong Kong) 6-4, 6-1.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2019