ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s longest serving No 1 tennis player Aqeel Khan was beaten in three hard-fought sets by Chinese Taipei’s Ti Chen in the Serena Hotels ITF Men’s Pro-Circuit (Futures) Tennis Tournament-2018, here at Senator Dilawar Ababs PTf Complex on Tuesday.
Aqeel fought bravely and went down fighting 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. A total of 11 matches were decided in the men’s singles category and two were played in the doubles category on the fourth day of the tournament. Ahmed Chaudhry toiled hard to beat his Uzbek opponent in three sets while Abid Ali Akbar breezed past his Australian counterpart in straight sets. Heera Ashiq and Mudassar Murtaza also won their doubles match in straight sets.
In other men’s singles first round matches, Ray Ho (TPE) beat Shamael Choudhary (GBR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Anton Chekhov (RUS) beat Malik Abdul Rehman (PAK) 6-3, 6-2; Rio Noguchi (JPN) beat Mudassar Mutaza (PAK) [WC] 6-2, 6-3; Kai Wehnelt (GER) beat Muhammad Shoaib (PAK) [WC] 6-0, 6-2; Ahmed Choudhary (PAK) beat Amal Sultanbekov (UZB) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; M Abid Ali Khan Akbar (PAK) beat Jackson Varney (AUS) 6-2, 6-0; Darko Jandric (SRB)[8] beat Barkat Khan (PAK) 6-3, 6-1; Shonigmatjon Shoeyziyev (UZB) beat Sora Fukuda (JPN) [4] 6-2, 6-3; Saida’lo Saidkarimov (UZB) beat Vladimir Polyakov (RUS) 6-3, 6-2; Muzammil Murtaza (PAK)beat Hamid Reza Nadaf (IRI): 7-6 (2), 6-2.
In men’s doubles first round matches, Sora Fukuda (JPN)/Ray Ho (TPE) beat Lorenzo Bocchi (ITA)/Alex Canter (GBR) 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 and Heera Ashiq/Mudassar Murtaza (PAK) beat Hamid Reza Nadaf (IRI)/Jackson Varney (AUS) 6-2, 6-4.
In boys singles U-18 first round, M Shoaib beat Hasan Khan 6-0, 6-1; Musa Choudhary W/O Aqib Umar; Ahmed Kamil W/O Muhammad Hadin; Zain Choudhary W/O Adnan Khan; Muhammad Abdullah beat Abdullah Khan 7-5, 6-4; Abdullah Adnan beat Uzair Khan 6-2, 6-3; Nauman Aftab (3) beat Hamza Jawad 6-0, 6-0.
Ahmed Asjad beat Faizan Shahid 6-2, 6-3; Sami Zeb beat Osama Khan 6-4, 7-6 (3); Subhan bin Salik W/O Rayan Jawad; Saqib Umer beat Prabat Kumar 6-2, 6-2.