Sports Bulletin

Karachi (Sports Report):-The formal Opening Ceremony of 10th Essa Lab National Tennis Championship held at Modern Club. Dr. Nazia Shakil, Consultant Dermotologist, was the chief guest, other prominent including Mohammad Khalid Rehmani, Zafar Hasan , Pasha, Raisa Ashfaq, Farha Riaz, perveen Akhter, Ishrat zehra, Sumeira Javed, Noushad Ahmed were present on the occasion. Results (Day-3): Men’s Single 2nd Round Mustafa Tariq bt Robin Das 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 Men’s Single Quarter Final Ahsan Siddiq bt Bilal 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 Vinod Das bt Ibrahim Iltifat 6-2, 6-2 Girls 18 Single Semi Final Zainab Ali bt Inaya Sayeed 6-1, 6-4 Under-16 Singles 1st Round Ali khattak (Hyderabad) bt Abdullah Raziq 6-2, 6-2 Under-16 Quarter final Asad Zaman (Lahore) bt Ali khattak  ( Hyderabad) 6-1, 6-2 Under-14 Boys Single 2nd round Nael Mirza bt Ruhab Faisal 4-2, 4-2 Duraf Das bt Ali Bachani (HYD) 4-2, 5-4 Under-12 Single 2nd round Zohaib Malik (LHR) bt Rashid Ali (Hyderabad) 4-0, 4-0 Ali Bachani( HYd )Zayd Zaman 4-1, 4-1 Ahmed Shaikh bt Hazik 4-1, 4-2 Sameer Zaman bt Faiz Ilyas 4-2, 4-2 Under-12 2nd round Zohaib Malik (LHR) bt Rashid Ali (Hyderabad) 4-0, 4-0 Ali Bachani( HYd )Zayd Zaman 4-1, 4-1 Ahmed Shaikh bt Hazik 4-1, 4-2 Sameer Zaman bt Faiz Ilyas 4-2, 4-2 U-nder12 Single Quarter Final Zohaib Malik (LHR) bt Juaid Mahar 4-0, 4-0 Men’s Double 1st Round Salman+Mustafa bt Imran +Fahad 6-2, 6-3 Sher Ahmed +Shoaib bt Asaad+Sunny 8-1 Aqeel Shabbir +Murad Khan bt Iltafat+Ahtisham 8-5 Men’s Doubles Quarter-Final Ali+Vinod w/o   Shamael +Ali W/O Shahab+Adnan bt Salman+Mustafa 8-5 Ibrahim+Mustafa bt Kashan+Ahsan 8-4 Junior 18 Singles 1st Round Mohammad Ahtisham (LHR) bt Hasnai Kharram 6-0, 6-1 Mohammad Ali Khattak ( Hyd) bt kashan Tariq 6-4,6-4 Rahaam Veqar bt Ammar Ismail 6-4, 6-4 45 Double 1st Round Rafi Darbarai +Mohammad Abdul Saeed bt Noman Farid + Karim Gul 8-5 Zafar +Sher Ahmed bt Capt Aleem +Juniad 8-0 Imran +Salim bt Amir + Kamran 8-4 Jawad +Iltafat bt Razi Nawab+ Waheed  9-7 35 Double 1st Round Mustafa +Kamran bt Ali +Shamael W/O Robin +Vinod Das bt Amir +Shehzad 8-3 Mohammad Ahmed Saeed + Mohammad Naseem bt Shoaib +Javed 8-5 Sher Ahmed +Iltafat bt Rizwan +Adnan W/O Under-10 Singles 2nd round Rashid Ali bt Rohan 4-0, 4-0 Abid Bachani HYD Rohan 4-0, 4-0 Abid Bachani bt Zayd Zaman 4-2, 4-5, 4-2 Under-10 Singles 2nd round Rashid Ali bt Rohan 4-0, 4-0 Abid Bachani HYD Rohan 4-0, 4-0 Abid Bachani bt Zayd Zaman 4-2, 4-5, 4-2 Hamza Arijo bt Ali Raza W/O Majid Ali (HYD) Emre Shazim 1-4, 4-2, 4-0 U-10 Single Semi final Rashid Ali (HYD) bt Abid Bachani 4-2, 4-0 Majid Ali (HYD) bt Hamza Arejo 4-1, 4-1.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 7, 2021):-Top seed Aqeel Khan outclassed Jibran-ul-Haq in straight sets 2-0 in his opening match of the Men’s Singles event of the J7 – 34th Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue, Islamabad on Tuesday. The second round matches will be held on Wednesday at same venue. Earlier in the morning session, Yaseen Mahsud CEO of J7 Group graced opening ceremony as a chief guest. All prominent senior Executives and Directors of the J7 Group along with Col. Gul Rehman Secretary PTF, Majid Bashir SEVP ITA, Ahsan Raza Zaidi Treasurer ITA, other distinguished guests and officials of PTF were present on the occasion. Results: Men’s Singles (Main Draw 1st Round) Aqeel Khan beat Jibran-ul-Haq 6-3 6-0; Saqib Hayat beat Faizan Fayyaz 6-1 6-3; Ibrahim Umer beat Kamran Khan 6-1 6-3; Barkatullah beat Ijaz Ahmed 6-3 6-1, Heera Ashiq beat Ahmed Kamil 6-0 6-3; Nalain Abbas beat Jabir Ali 6-1 6-2; Mahatir Mohammad beat Asad Ullah 6-3 7-6(3); Yousaf Khalil beat Abdul Hanan Khan 6-0 6-2; Mudassar Murtaza beat Sami Zeb Khan 6-3 6-2; Talha Bin Asif beat Aqib Hayat 6-1 6-0; Ahmad Asjad Qureshi beat Shaheen Mehmood 7-6(4) 6-2; Mohammad Shoaib beat Abbas Khan 6-0 6-0; Ahmed Chaudhry beat Nofil Kaleem 6-1 6-1; Hasheesh Kumar beat Israr Gul 6-4 6-1; Ahmed Babar beat M.Waqas Malik 6-3 7-6(6), Mohammad Abid beat Mohammad Usman Ejaz 6-1 6-2; Ladies Singles (Main Draw 1st Round) Hania Navid beat Zahra Sulman 6-1 6-2; Nida Akram beat Tooba Babar 6-1 6-0; Kainat Ali beat Zahra Khan 6-0 6-0;   

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 6, 2021):-Ahmad Kamil, Kamran Khan, Mahatir Mohammad, Mohammad Usman Ejaz, Talha Bin Asif, Abbas Khan, Jabir Ali and Shaheen Mehmood qualified for the main draw of Men's Singles discipline of the J7 - 34th Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships 2021 after winning their matches at Syed Dilawar Abbas (SDA)-Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex Islamabad on Monday. The main draw matches will be played on Tuesday, as Yaseen Mahsud, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of J7 Group, will inaugurate the prestigious national tennis showpiece. As many as 20 players were accepted directly into the main draw according to PTF National Ranking while 4 players were awarded a wild card and 8 qualifiers completed the draw of 32. An official of PTF told Sports Bulletin website: The Draw of Men's Singles and Ladies Singles were taken out by Mohammad Arif Qureshi, ITF White Badge Referee in the presence of the players. According to the Men's Singles Draw, the top eight seeds are Aqeel Khan (WAPDA), Mohammad Abid, Mohammad Shoaib, Heera Ashiq, Mudassar Murtaza, Yousaf Khalil, Ahmed Choudhary and Barkatullah. The J7 Group of Companies is the main sponsor of the 34th edition of Federal Cup National Ranking Tennis Championships whereas Star Marketing is joining hands as co-sponsor. J7 Group - Real Estate entrepreneurs joined hands for the promotion of the game of tennis. The dynamic team of J7 Group is led by visionaries enriched with brilliance, resources and experience. J7 Group is known to have delivered real estate projects in record time.  Results: Men's Singles (Qualifying): Ahmad Kamil beat Faizan Shahid 8-0; Kamran Khan beat Mohammad Bilal 8-6; Mahatir Mohammad beat Ahmed Nael Qureshi 8-3; Mohammad Usman Ejaz beat Mohammad Talha Khan 8-3; Talha Bin Asif beat Hamid Israr 3-2 (Retd.); Abbas Khan beat Mohammad Zaryab 8-6; Jabir Ali beat Abdul Karim 8-1; Shaheen Mehmood beat Azeem Khan 8-4.  Round-II Faizan Shahid beat Azan Shahid 6-3; Kamran Khan beat Mohammad Abdullah 6-3; Mahatir Mohammad beat Zaryab Pirzada 6-4; Ahmad Nael Qureshi beat Dr. Hamid Akram 6-0; Mohammad Talha Khan beat Haseen Inyat Raja 6-3; Mohammad Usman Ejaz beat Shaeel Durab 6-0; Talha Bin Asif beat Hasam Khan 6-2; Hamid Israr beat Parbhat Kumar 6-3; Mohammad Zaryab beat Huzaima Abdul Rehman 7-6(1); Jabir Ali beat Shawal Azeem 6-1; Shaheen Mahmood beat Mohammad Hamza Asim 6-1, Round-I Azan Shahid beat Ahmad Murad 6-0; Zaryab Pirzada beat Umair Javed 6-2; Parbhat Kumar beat Ghoush Raza 7-6; Hamid Israr beat Adnan Rashid 6-0; Mohammad Zaryab beat Mamoon Ilyas 6-3; Shawal Azeem beat Imran Haider 6-1; Jabir Ali beat Azan Sajid 6-1; Azeem Khan beat Nazar Afridi 6-0; Talha Saqib beat Jahanzeb Inam 6-1;

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The Russian Tennis Federation has won the Davis Cup for the third time after beating Croatia 2-0 in the final in Madrid. Andrey Rublev beat Borna Gojo 6-4, 7-6(5) in the opening match and then Daniil Medvedev clinched the winning point with a 7-6(7), 6-2 victory over Marin Cilic. It’s the first time RTF has won the Davis Cup since 2006 and it completes a clean sweep of the national team competitions in the last month, after the Russian women won the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Prague. Only three other nations in history - USA, Australia, Czech Republic - have ever achieved this feat, and this is the first time it’s been done since 2012.  For Croatia, this was a third final in five years, and the aim had been to take the tie all the way to the deciding doubles, when world No.1s Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic would take to the court, but overcoming RTF’s singles strength proved a step too far. With four players ranked in the top 30, the Russian Tennis Federation was the favourite for the title when the event started ten days ago, and the team certainly made good on its outstanding talent, only losing one live match throughout the entire tournament. Medvedev in particular was formidable, winning all five of his matches in straight sets. “It feels amazing”, Medvedev said afterwards. “But I’m more happy for the team than for myself. We have an amazing team, amazing atmosphere. I’m happy to be part of it and bring the points we need. It’s never easy to come here at the end of the season but they were some of the best weeks of my career.” In the first game, Rublev won a scintillating 36-shot rally with a backhand pass to set up break point, only for Gojo to save it and get himself out of trouble. Rublev kept the pressure on with a quick hold of his own and then forced Gojo to save another break point with an ace. By now the pattern of the match had been established - Rublev was racing through his service games, winning 12 straight points on serve, while Gojo was having to work much harder behind his delivery. Eventually, this pressure told. At 3-3, a couple of loose shots from Gojo let Rublev in and then two more errors from the Croatian - this time forced by Rublev’s relentless aggression and the speed of his shots - meant that the Russian finally had the break he deserved. Having won all three of his matches en route to the final, Gojo had made a habit this week of playing above his average level and beating higher-ranked opponents, but he was finding it much harder to live with Rublev’s sustained power from the baseline. The one thing keeping the match close was Gojo’s ability to play and serve well on most of the big points. This trend continued at the start of the second set as he saved five break points across his opening two service games, including a gutsy hold from 0-40. It left Rublev with a 12% conversion rate on his break points. With 150 Croatian fans having flown in specially for the final, the overwhelming majority of the vocal support was for Gojo. This, combined with Rublev’s struggles at closing out matches in straight sets this week, must have given Gojo belief. While he continued to get nowhere near Rublev’s serve, the longer the set went on, the tighter and more stressed the Russian became, unable to deliver the hammer blow. Eventually, the set wound up in a tiebreak. Gojo, who’d served 14 aces up to this point, immediately got off on the wrong foot with a double fault, and things looked bleak when he left a backhand pass that landed in. But he worked his way back into it and forced Rublev to conjure up his best level. A stunning sequence of forehands - first a passing shot up the line and then a devastating winner from the baseline - set up match point. When Gojo’s backhand drifted wide, it was over. “It was a really tough match”, Rublev said. “It’s true that I have a lot of pressure today because looks like I should win. But he was playing really great during all the event. He beat really great players. Today he was playing also really great. But I was lucky enough to win the match. In the second set I was a bit showing emotions because I feel that I'm really close to win the match. Somehow he always was serving really well and really hard that I could not do anything. But in the end I win the match and this is the most important thing.” The first break point of the match came in the seventh game when Cilic’s forehand suddenly became wayward, but he got it back together to hold, impressively hitting through any tension he was feeling. With Cilic playing well, Medvedev couldn’t afford any slip-ups, but he suddenly found himself facing break point at 3-4 30-40. A bold second serve, which Cilic netted, got him out of trouble. As the set headed to a tiebreak, Medvedev went up an early mini break, Cilic hit back with a forehand winner, and then gained the advantage as Medvedev hit a forehand wide. Serving with the advantage at 4-3, it was Cilic’s turn to miss a forehand. The Croatian then came out on top of a long rally, defying Medvedev’s spectacular defence, to move 5-4 ahead. Two strong serves from Medvedev put him 6-5 up only for an extraordinary smash from Cilic to save set point. It was an incredibly brave shot from deep in the court, particularly for a player who has developed a reputation for getting tight in pressure moments. But, on the next point, Cilic’s Achilles heel struck as he pushed a relatively straightforward forehand just wide to hand Medvedev the chance to serve it out. Medvedev had been targeting Cilic’s forehand throughout the set, to little avail, but the stroke had broken down when it mattered most. An unexpected double fault from Medvedev then brought the scores level once more. The Russian made amends to go 8-7 ahead and then took the set when Cilic was slow to get up to a backhand and pushed it wide. At this stage in the match, Cilic had nothing to show for hard work, like a football team who had played well but hadn’t scored. Having put so much effort into the first set, Cilic’s level dropped a bit in the second, and Medvedev sensed this. A series of winners helped him get the early break and from there he never looked back, pinning Cilic behind the baseline with deep groundstrokes, and choosing his moments to attack. Before you knew it, he’d worked his way to match point, and it was all over when Cilic netted a backhand.

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 10th Essa Lab National Seniors and Juniors Tennis Championship started at the hard courts of Modern Club Karachi on Sunday. Dr. Essa Laboratory & Diagnostic Center is the major sponsor of this prestigious annual national fixture of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) circuit tournament. Karachi Tennis Association is organizing the event under the auspices of PTF/ STA. Results (Day-1): Men’s Singles (Round-I) Adnan Khan bt Mohammad Ahmed 6-2, 6-2 Salman Ahmed bt Imran Abid 6-0, 6-2 Abdullah Khan bt Ahsan Salim 6-1, 2-0 Robin Das bt Mohammad Usman 6-2, 5-0, Rtd Saad Salim bt Fahad Abid 6-7, 6-0, 10-6 Ahsan Siddiq bt Mohammad Asif 6-2, 6-1 Mohammad Bilal bt Arshad shahid 6-2, 6-0 Murad Khan bt Mohammad Abdul Saeed 6-3, 4-6,10-7 Shahab Khan beat Rohaan Masood 6-1, 6-1 Mustafa Burny beat Asaad Ahmed 6-2, 7-5 Under-16 Single (Round-I): Ahsan Ahmed bt Basim Ali 6-1,6-0 Hasnain Khurram bt Mohammad Sohail 6-3 6-4 Girls 18 Singles (Round-I): Daliah Shazim bt Eshal Zain 6-3, 6-1 Under-14 Doubles Abdullah Razzia+ Dhuruf Das bt Nibras Malik +Ibrahim Qureshi 5-3, 4-0 Taimoor +Kaamil bt kazim +Zayaan W/O Under-12 Doubles 1st Round Mahad + Ruhab bt Inaya+Daliah 4-0, 5-4 (6) Men’s Doubles Salman Ahmed +Mustafa Mustafa bt  Imran Dewaney + Fahad Abid  6-2 6-3 Kashan Tariq +Ahsan Siddiq bt Noman  Farid + Qamar Habib  8-3

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD (December 4, 2021):-As many as 35 matches were decided on the day 1st of the ITC Tennis League, which started here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) on Saturday. The players from Wah Cantt and Taxila are also participating in the Tennis League. Results: BOYS & GIRLS U-10 (Round Robin Matches) Amir Masood bt Ayesha Masood 5-3; Behroze Maimoon Bt Wishal Arshad 4-1; Ayesha Masood Bt Wishal Arshad 4-0; Zahra Khan Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-2; Amir Masood Bt Arshman Maqsood 4-2; Zahra Khan Bt Wishal arshad  4-0; Behroze Maimoon Bt Ayesha Masood 5-4(6); BOYS & GIRS U-12 (Round Robin Matches) Lalarukh Sajid  Bt Uzair Maqsood 5-1; BOYS & GIRLS U-14 (Round Robin Matches) Sameer Maqsood  Bt Ammar Masood 6-4; Hassan Usmani Bt  Sameer Maqsood 5-1; Hassan Usmani Bt LalaRukh Sajid 5-0; Ammar Masood Bt Lalarukh sajid 5-0; BOYS & GIRLS U-16 (Round Robin Matches) Sameer Kiyani Bt Hassan Usmani 5-1; Hamza Hussain Bt Abdul Wasay 5-0; Salaar Bt Hamza Hussain 5-0; Hassan Usmani bt Hamza Hussain 5-2; BOYS & GIRLS OVER 16 (Round Robin Matches) Abdullah Bt Azeena Aleem 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Sahar Aleem 5-3; Hamza Ul Zuhair Bt Haseeb Raja 5-3; Umer Masood Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-4(3); Salaar Bt Haziq Aasim 5-1; Umer Masood Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-3; Abdullah Bt Haseeb raja 5-0; Abdullah Bt Sahar Aleem 5-2; Umer Masood Bt Haseeb Raja 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Azeena Aleem 5-0; Salaar Bt Sahar Aleem 5-0; Sameer Kiyani Bt Azeena Aleem 5-2; Yawar Ali Bt Haseeb Raja 5-0; Haziq Aasim Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-2; Salaar Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-2; Abdullah Bt Ahmed Murad 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Ahmed Murad 5-2; Haziq Aasim Bt Sameer Kiyani 5-3;  Salaar Bt Hamza Ul Zuhair 5-0; Umer Masood Bt Salaar 5-2.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-The semi-final between Serbia and Croatia will be the latest instalment of an old rivalry, even if the players are all friends. It will also pit the world No.1 singles player against the world No.1 doubles team. Whenever Croatia faces Serbia, it’s about more than just tennis. “There is a big rivalry obviously being neighbouring countries, and there is always an extra pressure, an extra motivation, extra expectations I think for both nations to really win against each other”, says Novak Djokovic. “It’s not just semi-finals, it’s Croatia against Serbia, which has extra meaning for us.” Friday’s last-four clash in Madrid will be just the third time Croatia and Serbia have faced off in Davis Cup since they became independent nations following the break-up of Yugoslavia. Both of the previous meetings have gone Serbia’s way. The first came in Split in 2010 when Serbia won 4-1 in the quarter-finals en route to winning the competition. Then, like now, Djokovic was Serbia’s leading man, winning both of his singles matches against Ivan Ljubicic and Marin Cilic in straight sets. “I remember it really well and I even have a few photos from that tie”, Cilic recalls. “I couldn’t believe how young we were. It was incredible to play in Croatia, really loud fans, special atmosphere. In the end Novak played incredible over the weekend. With that victory of them in the Davis Cup, Novak got an incredible boost for the 2011 season. So Davis Cup again showed a lot of great emotions and positivity. Those experiences are incredible for everyone’s career.” “It’s not just semi-finals, it’s Croatia against Serbia, which has extra meaning for us" (Novak Djokovic) In 2015, Serbia beat Croatia again, although this time it was a 5-0 thrashing in Kraljevo. Viktor Troicki, who won both of his singles matches in that whitewash six years ago, now hopes to inspire Serbia as captain. “It's a completely new role for me. First year as a Davis Cup captain, being on the team for so many years as a player, I have experienced everything, but this is a whole different level, being in the court and supporting the players. Nice memories against them [Croatia]. Of course we are going to go for a win. Hopefully the streak will continue.” While the national rivalry is impossible to ignore, it’s not something that leads to friction between the players. If anything, the opposite is true, with the country’s ties bringing them all closer. “We get along extremely well”, Cilic says about the two teams. “During the season we’re practising all the time, hanging out together. With Novak I’ve been great friends since childhood. Krajinovic has been working with my fitness coach for a while. Borna [Gojo] was practising in Belgrade. So there is great connection with their team.” Djokovic believes the tie, while competitive, will be an opportunity to showcase the camaraderie between the sides. “I think regardless of what happens on the court, what is really nice in the sense of [a] really positive message out there is the respect and the friendship with these guys that we have on and off the court. These are great guys.” Speaking after midnight following Serbia's comeback against Kazakhstan, Djokovic added: “It’s been a long day. When you're not on the court, you're also emotionally involved in every match. You're cheering, you're supporting. It's very different from any individual tournament. So it's always great to have a day rest where you can recalibrate, recuperate all the necessary energy for not just your match but other matches, as well, and giving support, being there for your teammates.” “Borna and Nino back in Italy played amazing”, says Cilic. “They played above their usual match level and we hope those experiences are going to boost them for a great 2022 season. We know they can play a high level and they really fed off the team atmosphere and the captain and played amazing tennis.” Whatever happens, with Serbia looking to reach its third Davis Cup final and Croatia its fourth, both nations continue to punch above their weight in tennis, and Cilic is well aware that this is a tremendous opportunity. “Considering we are coming from such small countries and making such a great impact in tennis, it’s incredible. It’s so great for our nations to be in this position. Whoever wins is going to be in the final of Davis Cup and that’s an incredible achievement for both countries.”

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 10th Essa Lab National Seniors and Juniors Tennis Championship will start from Saturday (December 3, 2021) at the hard courts of Modern Club Karachi. According to an official of Sindh Tennis Association (STA), Dr. Essa Laboratory & Diagnostic Center is the sponsor of this prestigious annual national fixture of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) circuit tournament. Karachi Tennis Association is organizing the event under the auspices of PTF/ STA. Mohammad Khalid Rehmani will be the tournament referee while Sarwar Hussain will act as Tournament Director. The organizers have received 150 entries in various events. Asad Zaman of Lahore is top seed in both Under 16 and Under 14 Singles, Zohaib Afzal Malik of Lahore is top seed in Under 12 Singles. Natalia Zaman top seed in Girls Under-18 Singles, Farhan Altaf in Men’s Singles and Rashid Ali of Hyderabad in Under 10 Singles.

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Germany will board a plane to Madrid after Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz once again showcased their doubles prowess to fire their nation to the Davis Cup semi-finals following a tension-filled showdown with Great Britain. As they had done in both of their previous ties in Innsbruck, two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Krawietz and his partner Puetz rose to the occasion magnificently during a jaw-dropping clash, this time dispatching Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 7-6(10), 7-6(5). Germany was earlier teetering on the brink of elimination from the Finals after Great Britain surged into a commanding 1-0 lead following the 62, 61 thrashing of Peter Gojowczyk by a rampant Dan Evans. However, big-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff hauled his nation level with a gritty 76(6), 36, 62 win against in-form world No. 12 Cameron Norrie, although this was only a prelude to what was to come. In a high-octane and fabulously entertaining encounter, Krawietz and Puetz saved four set points during a fluctuating first set tiebreak before hauling themselves over the line by converting a fourth set point of their own. Playing just their sixth match together, three of which have come at these Finals, the intrepid duo then won a second tiebreak to confirm victory, this time recovering from 5-0 down to win 7-5. Victory ensured Germany ended their six-tie losing streak in Davis Cup quarter-finals and reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2007. They now advance to the Spanish capital where they will face the winners of the last-eight clash between the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Sweden on Saturday. “I think you could see that after the match point a lot of pressure fell off,” said Germany captain Michael Kohlmann, who was a calm presence throughout the nerve-racking encounter. “I am super happy. I mean, last time we reached the semi-finals was 2007, and that year I played. “This team is much better than it was at that time, so I think they deserved it. I am extremely happy and extremely proud.” “Honestly, I don’t know how we pulled that back from 0-5,” said Krawietz. “It’s tough, of course, to start the second tiebreak with 0-5, but we just said, ‘point by point’ then maybe we have a chance in this tiebreak. “Then we served twice and we were 2-5. We said, ‘okay, let’s try to make one point out of two. Then we turned it around. It’s a crazy game at times.” Great Britain, meanwhile, who were crowned Davis Cup champions in 2015, were bidding to reach the fourth semi-final of Leon Smith’s captaincy reign and equal, at the very least, their performance at the 2019 Finals in Madrid. The disappointment within their camp was palpable. The possibility of a Germany victory was made possible, in the first instance, by world No. 51 Struff and his defeat of Norrie, which ensured an already absorbing and enthralling tie went the distance. Following an early break of serve, Struff surged into a 3-0 lead in the opening set before Norrie instigated a comeback, winning three successive games to level before a swift exchange of service breaks forced a tiebreak. Left-hander Norrie engineered his way into a 6-4 tiebreak lead but failed to convert his two set points – something that would become a theme of the tie – allowing Struff to work his way back into contention and take the opening set. Norrie, however, has been in blistering form this season and last month became the first Briton to top the podium at Indian Wells, so was always likely to strike back. He duly did midway through the second set, breaking the Struff serve to go 4-2 up from where he successfully negotiated the remainder of proceedings. The third set followed a similar template only for the roles to be reversed. Struff flexed his muscles to break Norrie and power into a 4-2 lead, with the 31-year-old refusing to relinquish his grip, sending the tie to a deciding doubles.

Lahore (Sports Report):-International tennis star Sania Mirza visited state of the art tennis courts at Nishtar Park Sports Complex (NPSC) on Tuesday. Sania Mirza played practice tennis matches for one and half hours with Pakistan’s international tennis stars Aisamul Haq and Aqeel Khan at a nicely-built tennis stadium. Deputy Director Chand Perveen, SBP PRO Abdul Rauf Roofi, Tennis Stadium administrator Rehmat Ullah and other officials were also present on this occasion. Talking to Deputy Director Chand Perveen and SBP PRO Abdul RaufRoofi, international tennis star Sania Mirza appreciated the top standard facilities provided at Sports Board Punjab’s State of the Art Tennis Stadium. “SBP Stadium is equipped with all modern facilities and it will help a lot in producing several top class tennis players in future,” she added. SaniaMirza said: Pakistan has plenty of tennis talent and SBP’s tennis stadium and academy are playing key roles in further nurturing the emerging male and female tennis players.