KARACHI, July 14 Defending champion and top seed Aqeel Khan made a brisk start registering a crushing 6-1, 6-1 victory over local player Robin Das to propel into pre quarter-finals of the Pakistan Open Tennis Championship at Creek Club on Tuesday.

Aqeel, who returned from Manila in the morning where Pakistan suffered a 2-3 loss at the hands of the Philippines in Davis Cup Group two tie, had got a bye in the first round.

He is slated to meet the winner of Anas Khan and Vinod Das in the next encounter.

Meanwhile, eighth seed Faizan Khurram of Lahore who is rated among top juniors of the country became the first major casualty going down straight to unseeded Zia Hai in men's singles second round.

Hai caught the eye for creating an upset with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over his opponent.

Lahore's top seed Ushna Sohail became the first player to reach the ladies singles final beating Aneeta Pasha 6-1, 6-2. She faces the winner of last year's runner-up and second seed Saba Aziz and Islamabad's Sara Mansoor for the title clash.

Results

Men's singles first round Anas Khan (Hyderabad bt Abid Aslam 6-1, 6-2; Mustafa Zaidi bt Ahsan Zuberi 6-0, 6-1; Sadanul Haq bt Umer Shahid 6-4, 6-4; Danish Ahmed walkover Akber Hayat Khan; Zaid Noor Soomar bt Faisal Mehmood 6-1, 6-3; Yasir Khan bt Mohammad Jalal 6-3, 6-4.

Second round Zia Hai bt Faizan Khurram (Lahore) 6-3, 6-4; Malik Abdul Rehman (Lahore) bt Basit Gabol 6-2, 6-0; Danish Ahmed bt Samad Khan 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Aqeel Khan bt Robin Das 6-1, 6-1; Mohammad Abid Ali Akbar (Islamabad) bt Rafi Darbari (Hyderabad) 7-5, 6-1.

Juniors' under-17 singles first round Wilson walkover Nabeel Naseer; Nabeel Ahmed bt Aman Ashraf 6-3, 6-2; Nameer Shamsi bt Yahya Essa 6-4 (retired); Abdul Rehman bt Murtazain 6-2, 6-0; Anas Khan walkover Sufyan; Mustafa Zaidi bt Saad Noor Soomar 6-0, 6-1; Faizan Khurram bt Ahsan Mehmood 6-0, 6-1; Kashanul Haq walkover Nabeel; Hussain Aziz bt Govinda Kumar 6-0, 6-1; Farhan Mustafa bt Hassan Siddiq 6-4, 6-2.Ladies singles quarter-finals Saba Aziz (Lahore) bt Hareem Fatima 6-0, 6-1; Aneeta Pasha bt Sara Ahmed 7-5, 6-2.

Semi-final Ushna Sohail (Lahore) bt Aneeta Pasha 6-1, 6-2.

Wednesday's fixtures

Men's singles and juniors' under-17 singles 9.00am; men's doubles 12.00 noon; boys' under-15 singles 1.00pm; boys' under-11 singles 3.00pm.

Opinion

Editorial

A hasty retreat
Updated 28 Nov, 2024

A hasty retreat

Govt should not extend its campaign of violence against PTI and its leaders, thinking it now has the upper hand. Enough is enough.
Lebanon truce
28 Nov, 2024

Lebanon truce

WILL it hold? That is the question many in the Middle East and beyond will be asking after a 60-day ceasefire ...
MDR anomaly removed
28 Nov, 2024

MDR anomaly removed

THE State Bank’s decision to remove its minimum deposit rate requirement for conventional banks on deposits from...
Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...