ISLAMABAD, July 28: Khayal Muhammad and Arshad Iqbal Burki set up a date in Monday’s under-19 final of the 6th Hashim Khan National Junior Squash Championship after overpowering their semi-final opponents at the POF Complex Wah Sunday.
Punjab’s Khayal had to work overtime in beating Imran Mohib of NWFP in the first semi-final and needed 73 minutes in doing so.
Khayal dropped the first game 6-9 but recovered well to take the next by conceding only a point at 9-1. However, Imran seemed in no mood to give in and made a match of it by snatching the third game 5-9 only for his rival to come back strongly and claim the next two 9-2, 9-1 to wrap up the match.
It wasn’t an easy passage through for Arshad Iqbal Burki as Nasim Tehakali took a game off him. Arshad started off with a 9-4 win and then lost the second 5-9 before stepping up a gear in the third which he won 9-0 and then finished off his opponent with a 9-5 victory in the fourth game.
Farhan Mahboob advanced to the under-17 final with a 9-5, 9-1, 9- 4 thrashing in 35 minutes of Balochistan’s Rizwan Ahmed while Basit Ashfaq needed 47 minutes and four games to beat Aqib Hanif 9-3, 7-9, 9-7, 9-4 in the second semi-final.
Sunday’s under-15 final will feature Adil Atlas, a 9-6, 9-3, 9-0 victor against PAF’s Alamzeb, and Farzan Rashid who defeated Punjab’s Waqar Ahmed 9-4, 9-6, 9-10, 9-5.
Amir Atlas and Waqar Mahboob meanwhile made it to the final from the under-13 category with contrasting semi-final victories.
Amir, of PAF faced little problems in outplaying his team-mate Intikhab Alam 9-2, 9-3, 9-2 but Waqar on the other hand found Adnan Khan a tough nut to crack. His match went the distance as he lost the second and third games before achieving a 9-4, 5-9, 7-9, 9-5, 9-3 win.
RESULTS OF SEMIFINALS:
Boys under-19: Khayal Muhammad (Punjab) bt Imran Mohib (NWFP) 6-9, 9-1, 5-9, 9- 2, 9-1, Arshad Iqbal Burki bt Naseem Tehakali (PAF) 9-4, 5-9, 9- 0, 9-5.
Under-17: Farhan Mahboob (PAF) bt Rizwan Ahmed (Balochistan) 9-5, 9-1, 9-4, Basit Ashfaq (Punjab) bt Aqib Hanif 9-3, 7-9, 9-7, 9-4.
Under-15: Adil Atlas (PAF) bt Alamzeb (PAF) 9-6, 9-3, 9-0, Farzan Rashid (Punjab) bt Waqar Ahmed (Punjab) 9-4, 9-6, 9-10, 9-5.
Under-13: Amir Atlas (PAF) bt Intikhab Alam (PAF) 9-3, 9-3, 9-2, Waqar Mahboob (PAF) bt Adnan Khan (Punjab) 9-4, 5-9, 7-9, 9-5, 9-3.
Girls under-19: Sarah Awan (Punjab) bt Mubashira (Punjab) 9-0, 9-2, 9-0, Shafaq Naeem (Punjab) bt Misbah Rani (Punjab) 9-2, 0-9, 0-9, 9-4, 9-2.
Under-17: Zeba (Punjab) bt Muqaddas (Punjab) 9-1, 9-0, 9-0, Misbah Siddiqui (Punjab) bt Nadia Ghafoor (Punjab) 9-6, 9-4, 9-10, 9-4.
Under-15: Maleeha Shahid (Punjab) bt Sumaira Haq (Sindh) 9-3, 9-1, 9-0, Gul Zaman (Punjab) bt Amna Mahboob (Punjab) 3-9, 9-7, 9-7, 9-4.
Under-13: Marhaba Nemat (Punjab) bt Amna Khuda Buksh (Sindh) 9-0, 9-2, 9-6, Maria (PAF) bt Qandeel Fatima (Punjab) 9-0, 9-2, 9-6.