ISLAMABAD: There will be a local winner at the ITF Pakistan Junior World Ranking Tennis Championships after Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Shoaib Khan recorded straight set victories in their semi-final clashes here on Thursday.

Second seed Huzaifa, who had won the first leg of the international event last week, will be looking to win a second straight title after he dispatched Korean Kim Min-Joon 6-1, 6-1.

Shoaib had a much harder time against another Korean, Kang Gunuk, as he came back from a set down to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Both Kang and Kim, however, took revenge for their losses in the boys’ doubles event as they teamed up to beat Huzaifa and Shoaib 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 10-7 in the semi-finals before defeating another Pakistan duo, Mohammad Nauman Aftab and Saqib Hayat, 7-5, 6-2 in the final.

The girls’ singles event, meanwhile will see Turkey’s Ayesgul Mert clash with Korean Soo Ha Jang in the final.

While Mert cruised past Korea’s Ji Woo Chai 6-4, 6-1, Soo caused a major upset as she eliminated Russian third seed Arina Valitova 7-5, 6-4.

Soo and Ji teamed up to beat Iranians Mahta Khanloo and Meshkatolzahra Safi 6-3,-7-5 in the girls’ doubles final.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2019