ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: Fourth seed Sylvia Lokollo showed defending champion Mehvish Chishtie the door Friday sending her crashing to a 6-1, 6-3 defeat in the women’s singles semifinal of the Federal Cup Tennis Championship at Islamabad Club.

Sylvia was in devastating form and did not allow Mehvish, the second seed, to dictate terms as she wrapped up the match in quick time in what was the upset of the day.

It was a fine achievement by Sylvia who is being coached by former Davis Cup star Hameed-ul-Haq.

Hameed said after the match that if Sylvia played the way she did Friday, she could win the title.

In Saturday’s final, Sylvia will take on Mariam Rahim, 6-1, 6-3 winner over Nosheen Ehtisham. Playing consistently from the baseline, Mariam did not face much difficulty in beating her rival.

Meanwhile, Aqeel Khan and Asim Shafik justified their seedings as they qualified for the men’s singles final.

Aqeel, the top seed defeated captain of the Davis Cup team, Rashid Malik 6-3, 6-2 while second seed Asim struggled to edge past Nomi Qamar, winning 7-5, 6-4.

Results:

Women’s singles semifinals: Sylvia Lokollo bt Mehvish Chishtie 6-1, 6-3; Mariam Rahim bt Nosheen Ehtisham 6-1, 6-3.

Men’s singles semifinals: Aqeel Khan bt Rashid Malik 6-3, 6-2; Asim Shafik bt Nomi Qamar 7-5, 6-4.

Boys under-18 semifinals: Babar Ali Khan bt Munir Ashiq 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Shahid Afridi bt Tanveer Ashiq 6-0, 6-1.

Boys under-14 final: Omer Babar bt M. Ahmed Aslam 4-0, 4-2.

Boys under-12 semifinals: Tabish Raza bt Zain Haider 4-2, 4-0; Abid Ali bt Ibrahim Omer 0-4, 4-1, 4-1.

Girls under-14 final: Sara Mansoor bt Anoosha Aslam 4-1, 3-5, 5-4.

Men’s doubles semifinals: Nomi Qamar/Aurangzeb Khan bt Asim Shafik/Shahzad Samad Khan 6-3, 6-4; Rashid Malik/Aqeel Khan bt Wasif Cheema/Shahzad Khan 6-3, 6-0.

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...