ISLAMABAD: Top seed and rising Pakistan star Mohammad Shoaib comfortably defeated Nepal’s Aryan Giri in the boys singles semi-final of the Syed Dilawar Abbas Memorial ITF Pakistan Junior Tennis Championship here at the PTF Complex on Thursday.

The 18-year-old Shoaib faces Turkey’s second seed Gokalp Ayar, who in the other semi-final overwhelmed compatriot Kerem Ozlale 6-3, 6-1, in the title clash on Friday.

Shoaib won the first set 6-4 by breaking the ninth game of his opponent. He kept the same pressure in the second set to take a 4-0 lead by breaking the first and third games of Aryan before taking the set the set 6-1 by breaking the last game of Aryan.

Unseeded Leyla Nilufer Elmas of Turkey won the girls singles title eliminating top seed China’s Ren Ke.

In the first set both players broke serve of each other and the score went up to 6-6. The set was decided in tiebreak which Leyla won 8-6. The close battle continued in the second set as the 4-4 scoreline showed. Ke eventually won the set 6-4 by breaking the last game of Leyla at 15-40.

The final set was marked with aces, long rallies and a flurry of back hand, forehand drives as the score went up to 4-4. Leyla won the set by breaking the ninth game of Ke and with it the title. The match lasted two hours 28 minutes.

The Turkish pair of Ayar Goklap and Mustafa Sancaklioglu won the boys doubles title as they outplayed Romania’s Iustin Belea and Qwyn Quittner of Australia 6-2, 6-3.

Leyla Nilufer Elmas and Mina Togdulkdmir, both of Turkey, clinched the girls doubles final against Nepal’s Abhilasha Bista and Neyara Weerawansa of Sri Lanka 7-5, 2-6, 11-9.

Results:

Boys singles (semi-finals): Mohammad Shoaib bt Aryan Giri (Nepal) 6-4, 6-1; Gokalp Ayar (Turkey) bt Kerem Ozlale (TUR) 6-3, 6-1

Girls singles (final): Leyla Nilufer

Elmas (Turkey) bt Ren Ke (China) 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4

Boys doubles (final): Gokalp Ayar (Turkey)/Mustafa Sancaklioglu (Turkey) bt Iustin Belea (Romania)/Qwyn Quittner (Australia) 6-2, 6-3

Girls doubles (final): Leyla Nilufer Elmas (Turkey)/ Mina Toglukdemir (Turkey) bt Abhilasha Bista (Nepal)/Neyara Weerawansa (Sri Lanka) 7-5, 2-6, 11-9.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2020