KARACHI, Sept 2: Unseeded Rafi Darbari created the major upset of the tournament when he overcame second seed Rizwan Shamsi in straight sets in the first round of the Seniors national ranking tennis championship on Thursday at Karachi Club.

Hyderabad’s Rafi played outstanding shots to excel over his rival, beating him 7-5, 6-2 in the 35-plus singles.

The fourth seed, Iltifat was extened by Salim Siddique before advancing into the next stage of the same event. Iltifat showed nerves of steel after losing the first set 5-7, to win the remaining two 7-5, 6-2. The match was the longest of the day and took more than two hours.

In the same event, Imran Abu Bakar took no time to outclass Zulfiqar Yousuf Zai in straight sets. He won the match 6-2, 6-4.

Fourth seeded Azharuddin overwhelmed Tariq Khan 6-4, 6-3 with the help of his deadly serves while Altaf Aziz prevailed over Anis Younis 6-2, 7-5.

Thursday results: (35-plus men singles) Imran Abu Bakar bt Zulfiqar Yousuf Zai 6-2, 6-4; Rafi Darbari bt Rizwan Shamsi 7-5, 6-2; Iltifat bt Salim Siddique 5-7, 7-5,6-2

45-plus singles Altaf Aziz bt Anis Younus 6-2, 7-5; Azharuddin bt Tariq Khan 6-4, 6-3 Idrees Kodvavi bt Ashraf Admani W/O.—Agencies