ISLAMABAD: Top seed Mohammad Shoaib, 23, successfully defended his men’s singles crown on Saturday after a gruelling three-set victory over Muzammil Murtaza in the final of the 37th OGDCL Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships here at the PTF Complex.

The match, interrupted by rain and concluded under floodlights on Saturday night, saw Shoaib clinch a 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4 win in two hours and 58 minutes.

Murtaza raced to a 3-0 lead in the opener before Shoaib rallied, forcing a tiebreak where he secured an 8-6 edge.

Murtaza dominated the second set as he broke Shoaib’s serves in the fourth and sixth game, but Shoaib broke decisively in the ninth game of the decider, sealing victory with a cross-court winner.

In the boys’ under-18 final, Mohammad Salar defeated Hazik Aasim 7-5, 6-3, highlighting Paki­s­tan’s emerging junior talent.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2025