LAHORE - The 2nd Tennis Lovers Punjab Open Tennis Championship 2021 finals will be decided here at the PLTA Courts Bagh-e-Jinnah today (Thursday).
On Wednesday, 20 matches were decided, where top seeds played well against their respective opponents and advanced to the next round. In the men’s singles quarterfinals, Muhammad Abid proved too hot for Jabir Ali and thrashed him 6-0, 6-0. Imran Bhatti was up against Sikandar Hayat and outpaced him 6-2, 6-3 while seasoned campaigner Heera Ashiq overcame spirited Bilal Farooq 6-2, 6-2 and Zaryab Pirzada defeated promising Faizan Fayyaz 7-5, 6-2.
In the ladies singles quarterfinals, Amna Ali Qayum, an emerging tennis star who recently won altogether five titles in two back-to-back tournaments in Islamabad, was up against Fajar Masood. She played tremendous tennis and put her opponent under pressure right from the word go to overcome her with a margin of 8-2, thus booked a berth in the semifinals. Other semifinalists were Shimza Naz Durab, who outclassed Raheema 8-0 and Zahra Suleiman, who beat Labika Durab 8-5.
In the U-18 quarterfinals, Faizan Fayyaz thumped Muhammad Suhaan 8-0, Shaeel Durab routed Zaeem Ghafoor 8-3, Asad Zaman outpaced Ryan Munsif Khan 8-2 and Abdul Hanan Khan beat Ahtesham Arif 9-7. In the U-14 quarterfinals, Asad zaman crushed Zain Saeed 8-0, Nabeel Ali Qayum overwhelmed Muhammad Suhaan 8-2, Amir Mazari defeated Amna Ali Qayum 8-6, Ahtesham Humayun outclassed Inam Bari 8-0.
In the U-12 quarterfinals, Amir Mazari trounced Zohaib Eesa 8-0, Aalay Hussain toppled Ibrahim 8-2, Xeerak Mustafa thumped Talha Tarar 8-3 and Nabeel Ali Qayum thrashed Eesa Bilal 8-1. Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aalukh will grace the finals as chief guest and distribute prizes among the winners of different age categories during the concluding ceremony. PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) along with tennis players, their families and tennis lovers, will also be present on the occasion.