Aqeel outlasts Barkatullah to reach final
KARACHI: Top seed Aqeel Khan survived a gruelling three-set battle against Barkatullah, prevailing 6-4, 6-7(3/7), 7-5 to book his place in the final of the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan National Tennis Championship here at the Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana on Saturday.
He will face Muzammil Murtaza, who defeated Mudassir Murtaza 6-1, 6-4 in the other semi-final to set up an intriguing title clash.
In the men’s doubles final, the pair of Mohammad Shoaib and Hamza Roman claimed the title with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mudassir and Ahmad Nael Qureshi.
Romaisa Malik completed a dominant double on Saturday, capturing both the women’s singles and U-18 titles.
She defeated Shimza Naz Durab 6-2, 6-2 in the women’s decider, then returned to beat Bismal Zia 6-3, 6-2 in the U-18 championship match.
Boys U-18 final saw Hamza overcome Amir Mazari 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a comeback victory. Earlier, Amir had reached the final by defeating Mohammad Yahya 6-1, 6-2.
The boys U-14 semi-finals witnessed Shayan Afridi overpowering Meer Abbas Bhagat 6-3, 6-2, while Rashid Ali Bachani swept Keeyan Bus 6-2, 6-2 to set up a final meeting.
Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2026