LAHORE, April 18: Asian under-19 champion Farhan Mehboob and defending champion Khalid Atlas cruised into the semifinals of Faysal Bank national junior squash championship for boys and girls at the Punjab Squash Complex on Sunday.
Farhan (PAF) faced stiff opposition from an upcoming Aqib Hanif (Punjab)before completing his win in 56 minutes 6-9, 9-2, 9-4, 9-4. Farhan, erratic at the outset lost the first game despite taking 6-4 lead. But after early shock, he found his composure and gave no further chance to the seventh seed Aaqib to take advantage in the remaining three games.
Khalid (Army) played like a champion. Not losing even a single game, he beat Bilal Zaman (PAF) in just 44 minutes with the score being 9/2, 10/8, 9/5. Lanky Basit Ashfaq (Punjab) proved too good for Shahnawaz (Punjab) 10/8, 9/4, 9/5.
All the girls under-19 quarterfinals proved one-sided affairs with winners earning victories in straight games.
Results: Boys (U-13): Danish Atlas (PAF) bt Noor Ali Khan (Punjab) 9-3, 9-5, 9-0; Farhan Zaman (PAF) bt Owais Khan (PAF) 9-5, 7-9, 9-4, 9-2; Ali Ayub (Punjab) bt Owais Rahim (Punjab) 9-7, 9-1, 9-0; Sheikh Saqib (Punjab) bt Waqas Mehboob (PAF) 9-4, 9-0, W/O.
U-15: Adnan Khan (Punjab) bt Noor Zaman (Sindh) 9-11, 9-1, 9-2; Naveed Alam(Sindh) bt Naveed Khan (NWFP) 9-6, 9-7, 9-7; Waqar Mehboob (PAF) bt Intikhab Alam (PAF) 9/1, 9/3, 9/2; Shoaib Hassan (Punjab) bt Nadeem Khan (Punjab) 9-1, 9-7, 9-7.
U-17: Zahir Shah (PAF) bt Alamzeb (PAF) 9/5, 9/5, 9/7; Amir Atlas bt Muhammad Naeem (Sindh) 9/5, 10/8, 9/3; Farzan Rasheed (Punjab) bt Shehzad Khan (PAF) 9/1, 9/0, 9/1; Majeed Hussain (Army) bt Kashif Khan (Sindh) 9/4, 9/4, 9/2.
U-19: Khalid Atlas (Army) bt Bilal Zaman (PAF) 9/2, 10/8, 9/5; Basit Ashfaq(Punjab) bt Shahnawaz (Punjab) 10/8, 9/4, 9/5; Farhan Mehboob (PAF) bt Aqib Hanif (Punjab) 6/9, 9/2, 9/4, 9/4. The match between Yasir Butt (Punjab) and Jahanzeb Masood (Sindh) was still in progress.
Girls (U-13): Roshna Mehboob bt Rabia Mehboob 9/1, 9/4, 9/4; Anika Awanbt Riffat Khan 9/6, 10/9, 10/9; Samar Anjum bt Sana Shahid 9/3, 9/5, 9/5; Ana Batool bt Habiba Khan 9/7, 9/4, 9/3.
U-15: Amina Mehboob bt Sana Batool 9/1, 9/1, 9/2; Sara Sharif got walk over against Afsha Iqbal; Binish Khan bt Misbah Shaukat 9/0, 9/0, 9/0; Zoya Khalid bt Bushra Khalid 9/0, 9/0, 9/0.
U-17: Mehwish Hanif and Shazia Rashid got walk over against Shama Kiran and Shakeela.
U-19: Sara Awan bt Salma Naz 9/0, 9/0, 9/0; Saima Shaukat bt Mubashara Zia 9/0, 9/0, 9/0; Misbah Rani bt Ayesha Khalid 9/0, 9/3, 9/0; Zeba Pervaiz bt Shafq Naeem 9/1, 9/2, 9/6.