ISLAMABAD   -   Komal Khan stunned top seed Amna Fayyaz 3-2 in 27 minutes in their semifinal of the U-19 event at the National Junior Squash Championship 2019 here at Mushaf Squash Complex on Sunday.

While Army’s Uzair Shaukat thrashed Punjab’s Hassan Raza 3-1 in just 30 minutes in their semifinal of the boys U-19 category.

The encounter between Komal and Amna was a well-contested game. Komal started the match with some classic shots and won the first game 11-9. Then Amna bounced back in style and claimed the second and third game 11-8 and 11-3 respectively.  She could not continue her performance in the fourth game due to running out of gas. Komal took advantage of her energy and won the fourth and fifth game 12-10 and 11-5 respectively.

Uzair, who is regarded as a brilliant player, maintained his reputation by winning his U-19 semifinal against Hassan. Uzair started the match with some aggressive shots and won the first game 11-6. However, he failed to carry his momentum in the second game and lost 11-5. Then Uzair bounced back and claimed the third game 11-3 by playing brilliant squash.

Both the players fought hard in the fourth game. Uzair continued with aggressive shots, while Hassan staged a mini comeback by taking four points. But it was Uzair, who prevailed and won the game 11-4 to move into the final.

In the other boys U-19 semifinal, Zeeshan Zeb of KP routed Malik Abdul Moiz of Punjab 3-0 in just 19 minutes. It was no contest at all, as Zeeshan was looking mature, while Malik was looking like a school-going kid. Malik was down and out, while Zeeshan was dictating terms right from the start. Zeeshan won the encounter with the scores of 11-4, 11-5 and 11-2 to set final date with Uzair.

In the first semifinal of the boys U-17 category, top seed Asad Ullah displayed great character and fighting spirit to defeat former world squash champion Qamar Zaman Khan’s grandson  Noor Zaman of PAF 3-2 in 26 minutes. It was a well-contested game. But Asad played good squash and won the match with the scores of 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 4-11 and 11-2. The second semifinal was played between Muhammad Hamza Khan and Abbas Nawaz. It was a one-sided affair, as Hamza was too hot to handle for his opponent. Despite putting up a brave show in the first game, Abbas was never in the contest, as he committed too many errors and allowed too much liberty to his opponent. Hamza took full advantage of the errors of his opponent and won the match in 23 minutes with the scores of 12-10, 11-7 and 11-6 to set final date with Asad.

Zainab Khan showed her skills and beat Aiman Shahbaz of SNGPL 3-1 in 18 minutes in the second semifinal of the girls U-19 category. Zainab won the encounter with the scores of 11-8, 11-0, 8-11 and 11-6 to set final date with Komal. Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) Senior Vice President Air Vice Marshal Aamir Masood will grace the finals as chief guest and distribute prizes among the winners.