LAHORE - The top seeded doubles pair of Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan moved into the final of the of 4th of Hassan Tariq Rahim (HTR) Masters Cup (Invitational) Tennis Tournament here at Lahore Gymkhana Courts on Thursday.
They defeated the pair of Mohammad Abid and Muhammad Waqas Malik in straight sets (6-3 and 6-3) while the other pair that made the final was Heera Ashiq and Abdul Haider. Heera and Haider partnered to stage the first upset of the Masters Cup as they overcame the dominance shown by the pair of Shahzad Khan and Ahmed Chaudhary. They won by the score of 6-4, 1-6 and 10-4, which showed the fight, the pairs had in the final set.
The round matches of under-18, ladies and men’s singles were also played and the winners were Muhamamd Nauman Aftab and Huzaifa Abudl Rehman; Aqeel Khan, Mudasir Murtaza, Muhammad Shoaib, and Muhammad Abid; Noor Malik, Sara Mansoor and Mehak Khokhar.
In the men’s singles round encounters, Aqeel Khan saw Heera Ashiq getting to his nerves. Though in the end, the win was easy for Aqeel but it was an indication that the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) needs to explore more for future of the country’s Davis Cup success. Aqeel, however, used his experience to overcome Heera 6-3 and 6-4.
Muddasir Murtaza started the day with a toothless fight from Ahmed Kamil. His straight set win finished 6-2 and 6-1. However, the two other men’s singles were a surprise pack in which the winners Muhammad Shoaib and Muhammad Abid were tested fully by Yousaf Khalil and Muzzamil Mutaza respectively.
Shoaib, having won the opening set of the match, caved into the pressure exalted by Yousaf in the very next set that brought the match to an even keel, one set for each. But Shoaib gathered his guts and prevailed in the third set to the match 6-2, 2-6 and 6-0.
Similarly, Abid was taken to a tie break for a number of times by Muzamil. Abid must have thought by winning the opening set 6-2 that the match is going to be a piece of cake but it was otherwise a good encounter to remember. In the second set Abid was taken to a tie-break 7-6 (4) but in the end it was a relief for him with a win.
In the under-18 boys singles, Muhamamd Nauman Aftab and Huzaifa Abdul Rehman booked places into the next round. Nauman was the first to reach the next stage after he defeated Ahmed Kamil after a battle of nerves and resistance. Though the score speaks differently 6-4 and 6-3, Kamil posed quite a tough fight and made Nauman struggle for each point and win.
In the second under-18 match, Huzaifa beat Saqib Hayat in straight sets. The match started with good pace but Saqib later wilted to lose the match. Huzaifa won in the end with a score of 6-2 and 6-1. In ladies singles, Noor Mailk beat Shinza Naz Durab 6-4, 3-3 retd, Sara Mansoor beat Mahwish Chishti 6-1, 6-1 and Mehak Khokhar beat Esha Jawad 6-1, 7-6 (3).
