Ahmed Nael to meet Yoshito Oda from Japan in the final on Friday

Abdul Jabbar Faisal

ISLAMABAD: Pencil-thin, rising tennis player, Ahmed Nael Qureshi overcame Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong from Thailand 2-1 to qualify for the final of the ITF Pakistan J30 World Junior Tennis Championships-II at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex Islamabad, as the final score-line was 4-6, 6-3, and 6-3 and the match lasted one hour and 40 minutes. Ahmed Nael Qureshi will take on Yoshito Oda from Japan in the final on Friday at the same venue.

In the first semifinal, local player 4th Seed Nael Ahmed Qureshi (PAK) caused a major upset by defeating top seed Tadpong Kamonpanyakorn of Thailand in a thrilling three-set match of the day. It is pertinent to mention here that Ahmed Nael Qureshi is a student of Westminster School and an upcoming talented youngster from Ace Tennis Academy

Nael Qureshi started the match on a very positive note and continued the pace of the game with the exchange of good rallies and cross-court short till score went-up 3-3 level. In the seventh game, Qureshi made some unforced errors and hit the ball into the net, and lost the game by hitting a double fault. At this stage, Tadpong built-up his winning lead 5-4 and tried to finish the set in the 9th game but failed to convert and ultimately grabbed the 10th game to win the set at 6-4.

Qureshi changed the game plan in the second set by playing some attacking game according to the situation and built up a winning lead of 4-2 by breaking the 2nd and 6th game of Tadapong. Nael after losing the 7th game played extraordinary tennis and broke back the 8th game and held the 9th game in his favour, taking the 2nd set at 6-3, and leveled the match 1-1.

In the final and decisive set, both the players exhibited a high standard of tennis. Tadapong tried his best and succeeded to break the 4th game of Qureshi to build-up the lead 3-1 but Nael Qureshi bounced back, changing the pace and strategy of the game plan, and played his best tennis by hitting excellent ground stokes down the line and cross-court, and continued to break the 5th, 7th and 9th game of Tadpong and qualified for the final of the ITF Pakistan J30 World Junior Tennis Championships-II.

Results:

Boys’ Singles (Semifinals):

Ahmed Nael Qureshi (PAK) beat Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong (THA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Yoshito Oda (JPN) beat Zaidh Zehar (SRI) 6-1, 6-2

Girls’ Singles (Semifinals):

Sajidda Razick (SRI) beat Anastasia Melnikova (RUS) 6-2, 6-2

Victoria Sedova (RUS) beat Bahar Kilic (TUR) 6-1, 6-2

Boys’ Doubles (Semifinals):

Toki Adachi (JPN) / Yoshito ODA (JPN) beat Aahil Kalil (SR) / Zaidh Zihar (SRI) 6-1, 7-6 (4)

Thanathip Poti (THA) / Kamonpanyakorn Thadapong (THA) beat Mohammad Salar Khan / Mohammad Hamza Aasim (PAK) 2-6, 6-4 (10-4)

Girls’ Double (Semifinals):

Victoria Sedova (RUS) / Anastasia Melnikova (RSU) beat Fatima Ali Raja / Zainab Ali Raja (PAK) 6-0, 6-0