Rising squash player Anas Ali Shah beat Varun Asif 3-1 in the final to clinch the title
Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Rising squash player, Anas Ali Shah has won the title of the first Bismillah National Junior Squash Championship 2024 that concluded in Lahore.
The under-19 lad started the campaign in the championship after thrashing Haji Nawaz in the first round of the top national squash showpiece. Anas won the match comfortably in straight games 3-0 and conceded just 2, 1, and 4 points in all three games.
In the second round, Anis Ali got rid of Shamlan Gul 3-1 after toiling hard on the court. Shah won the first two games at 11-8, and 11-6, however, he faced resistance in the next two games by Shamlan, who won the third game on a tie-break and lost the last one at 9-11 after showing some aggression in the start of the 4th game.
In the quarterfinal, Anas Ali defeated Shayan Ali in straight games after exhibiting nice skills of the game. He played powerful forehand and backhand drives to keep the opponent on his toes. Anas played some classic drop shorts and nicks, which were applauded by a sizeable number of spectators, and amused the squash lovers.
Anas Ali stunned Abdullah Butt after defeating him 3-1 in the semifinal, as the U19 champion maintained his winning habit in the vital contest of the championship, as his challenger was too good a player of Pakistan. The final score-line was 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, and 11-8, as the match lasted 23 minutes.
On May 24, 2024, the final was played between Anas Ali Shah and Varun Asif, as both players were looking in nice touch and eager to lift the title. Varun won the first game at 11-9 and earned a valuable lead of 1-0. However, after going down 1-0, Anas Ali changed his strategy and claimed the next three games to lift the title of the first Bismillah National Junior Squash Championship 2024.
Results (U19’s Champion):
Round-1: Anas Ali Shah beat Haji Nawaz (3-0) 11-2, 11-1, 11 4
Round 2: Anas Ali Shah: beat Shamlan Gul (3-1) 11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9
Quarterfinal: Anas Ali Shah beat Shayan Ali Sayed (3-0) 11-5, 11-4, 11-2
Semifinal: Anas Ali Shah beat Abdullah Butt (3-1) 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 11-8
Final: Anas Ali Shah beat Varun Asif (3-1) 9-11, 11-5, 11-0, 11 8.
