LAHORE (SNP Report): Rising tennis stars Zunaisha Noor and Abubakar Talha delivered sensational performances, recording major upsets at the ongoing Khawaja Iftikhar Ahmad Memorial National Ranking Tennis Championship 2024 here at Sports Board Punjab Tennis Courts, Nishtar Park Sports Complex.
In the ladies’ singles semifinals, Zunaisha Noor stunned Sheeza Sajid with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory, while Ushna Sohail powered past Amna Ali Qayum in a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win. Zunaisha’s impressive run continued in the girls’ U-18 category, where she outclassed Mahrukh Sajid 6-2, 6-1 to secure a spot in the final against Amna Ali Qayum, who had earlier routed Hajra Sohail 6-2, 6-1.
In the boys’ U-18 semifinals, Abubakar Talha of Wapda delivered a standout performance, shocking top seed Bilal Asim 6-2, 6-3. He will face Shehryar Anees in the final, who overcame Ahtesham Humayon in a thrilling 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 encounter.
In the boys’ U-14 semifinals, Junaid Khan defeated Rashid Ali 6-3, 7-6(2), while Shayan Afridi ousted Abdur Rehman 6-3, 6-3. In the girls’ U-14 category, Hajra Sohail crushed Esha Rabbi 4-0, 4-0, setting up a final clash against Bismal Zia, who beat Khadija Khalil 4-0, 4-2. The boys’ U-12 category witnessed Rashid Ali triumphing over M Ayan 6-2, 6-4, and Shayan Afridi cruising past M Muaz 6-1, 6-1.
In the men’s singles semifinals, Muzammil Murtaza dispatched M Shoaib 6-3, 6-1 to book a final showdown with veteran Aqeel Khan, who overcame Barkat Ullah 6-4, 6-2. Meanwhile, the men’s doubles title was clinched by the pair of Yousaf Khalil and Barkat Ullah, who defeated M Abid and Abdullah Adnan 7-6(3), 6-3.
In the boys’ U-18 doubles semifinals, the duo of Ahtesham Humayun and M Salar breezed past Nabeel Ali and Abdul Basit 6-2, 6-1, while Abubakar Talha and Hamza Roman beat M Yahya and Amir Mazari 6-2, 6-1.
In the seniors’ categories, Rashid Malik (Ali Embroidery Mills) and Arif Feroze dominated Kafee and Waheed 6-0, 6-2 in the 55+ doubles semifinals. M Khalid and Illyas advanced via a walkover against Amir Malik and Amir Altaf. In the senior 70+ doubles, Major Saeed Ikram and Ch Faiz edged Kh Khurram and Christophe Bureau 7-6(5), 6-4. The senior 40+ doubles semifinals saw Talha Waheed (GO Pakistan) and Shehryar Salamat advancing via walkover, while Ashar Khan and Hadi Hussain defeated Mehboob and Pervaiz 6-2, 6-2.
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