Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD (January 2, 2022):-Ushna Sohail overpowered Sarah Mehboob 2-1 to clinch the title of the Women’s Singles fixture of the ongoing 7th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournaments-2021-22 at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex Garden Avenue Islamabad on Sunday. The final score-line was 2-6, 6-2 and 6-2.
Although Ushna lost the first set at 2-6, she bounced back in the match by winning the second set at 6-2. She maintained the same pace and power in the final set and finished in the similar style 6-2 to lift the Women’s Singles title of the prestigious national tournament. President, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Salim Saifullah Khan witnessed the three-set contest.
In the Men's Singles, Mohammad Abid and Aqeel Khan confirmed their berths in the final after winning their respective semifinals at the same venue. The final will be played on Monday (January 3, 2022) at 1:30 pm at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex.
In the first semifinal, Mohammad Abid had to toil hard in the court to overcome his challenger Muzammil Murtaza after a three sets a nail and bite contest. Muzammil claimed the first set easily and conceded a single game. However, Mohammad Abid displayed a quality game in the second set and did not allow his rival to settle on the court. He squared the match at 1-1 after ending the penultimate game at 6-3. Abid kept the pressure on Muzammil in the last game too, as he hit powerful strokes from down the line. The winning guy was also looking good in service and volleys, as he finished the match with the score-line of 1-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
Later, in the second semifinal, Aqeel Khan ousted Mohammad Shoaib 2-0 and reached the final of the top national ranking tennis fixture. The final score-line was 6-3 and 6-2. Shoaib, who defeated top national lad Aqeel Khan twice in last December 2021 in two different tournaments in capital city Islamabad once in semifinal and once in final but he could not resist this time in a vital contest. Although Aqeel had crushed him (Shoaib) in the last national tournament, it was expected a close contest today but it proved a single sided affair.
Results:
Ladies Singles (Finals):
Ushna Suhail beat Sarah Mahboob 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Men's Singles (Semi-Finals):
Mohammad Abid beat Muzammil Murtaza 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Shoaib 6-3, 6-2
Boys’ Under-18 Singles (Semi-Finals):
Hasheesh Kumar beat Ahmed Nael Qureshi 6-0, 6-4
Sami Zeb beat Mahatir Mohammad 6-4, 6-1
Girls’ Under-18 Singles (Semi-Finals):
Amna Ali Qayum beat Saher Aleem 6-1, 6-0
Natalia Zaman beat Sheeza Sajid 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Boys’ Under-14 Singles (Semi-Finals):
Asad Zaman bt Abubakar Talha 4-0, 5-4(2)
Mohammad Salar beat Mohammad Ibrahim 2-4, 5-4(3), 4-2
Boys / Girls Under-12 Singles (Semi-Finals):
Amir Mazari beat Nabeel Ali Qayum 4-1, 4-1
Abubakar Talha beat Samer Zaman 4-1, 4-1.
