Yu-Yun annexes ITF World Junior Ranking Tennis title

ISLAMABAD - Top seed Yu-Yun Li of Chinese Taipei annexed the girls’ singles title of the Syed Tajammul Abbas ITF Pakistan World Junior Ranking Tennis Championship 2018 after beating Pakistan’s Mahin Aftab in the final played here at Senator Dilawar Abbas PTF Complex on Friday.Mahin started the first set on a fast pace and played some powerful backhand and passing shots, while on the other hand, Yu was looking a bit nervous and was finding it difficult to match the speed and agility of her opponent. The score was level at 2-2 as both the players somehow managed to hold onto their respective serves. Finally, Yu broke Mahin’s serve in the 5th game and then went onto win the first set 6-3 in 45 minutes.Yu kept the same pressure in the second set and immediately broke first serve of Mahin, who was looking a bit off-coloured and was not playing accordingly. It was one-way traffic as Yu was dictating terms and Mahin was looking hapless, tired and had no answers to the pace and agility of Yu. Despite the local crowd kept on bucking Mahin to put up a brave fight, Mahin never recovered from the disasters and kept on losing her own serves. Yu broke 5th and 7th games fo Mahin as well to take the set 6-1 in 30 minutes, thus won the coveted trophy and ITF ranking points. Maheen alsoMathew Yee (HKG)/M Nouman Aftab (PAK) grabbed the boys doubles title by beating Rattanan Siritaworchar (THA)/Suresh Darrshan (MAS) in straight sets. It was almost no fight witnessed from the losers, who looked a bit sharp in the first set and after giving some fight, lost it 3-6. But in the second set, the champions were too hot to handle for the runners-up and won the set 6-1.Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) patron Senator Syed Dilawar Abbas, who is also life-time ATF senior vice president, graced the occasion as chief guest and distributed prized and trophies among the winners. The girls’ doubles runners-up and boys’ singles final will be played today (Saturday) at 2pm. Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Brig (r) M Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and the PTF patron will grace the occasion as chief guest.

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