KARACHI, Nov 28 Continuing from where he had left on Thursday, unseeded Zulfiqar Hakeem stunned second seed Rafi Darbari from Hyderabad in straight sets to cruise into the 35-plus singles final of the Pakistan International Seniors world ranking tennis championship at Karachi Club on the penultimate day.

Zulfiqar, who the other day got the better of Indian K. V. N. Murthy in quarters, struggled to overcome his outstation opponent 7-6 (4), 6-2. He now faces another Hyderabad player, the top seed, Shabbir Gul, who accounted for M. Abdul Saeed in three gruelling sets 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in the other pre-final.

The final line-up of the 55 plus singles was also completed on Friday when Gul Hameed and Iltifat Ahmed won their respective matches. The former shocked top seed Jamil Khan 6-2, 6-3 while the latter recovered from one set down to beat Sabih Wali 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

In the 45 plus doubles, the pair of Azheruddin and Karim Gul Agha qualified for the final when they routed top seed duo of Khawaja Masroor and Shahid Aziz 6-2, 6-2.

All the five finals - two singles and three doubles - will be played on Saturday afternoon, the concluding day of the week long event.

Results

55 plus singles quarter-final

Iltifat Ahmed bt Anwar Younus 6-2, 6-3.

Semi-finals

Gul Hameed bt Jamil Khan 6-2, 6-3; Iltifat Ahmed bt Sabih Wali 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

35 plus singles semi-finals

Zulfiqar Hakeem bt Rafi Darbari (Hyderabad) 7-6 (4), 6-2; Shabbir Gul (Hyderabad) bt M. Abdul Saeed 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

35 plus doubles quarter-finals

Shabbir Gul and Rafi Darbari bt Imran and Suhail 6-3, 6-1; Altaf Hussain and Zulfiqar Hakeem bt Waseem Hyder and Ali Sawani 6-2, 6-4; Shahid Hussain and Asif Ismail bt M. Abdul Saeed and Bashir Khan 6-2, 6-3.

55 plus doubles first round

Gulzar Firoz and M. Ali bt M. Baqi Kaker and Dr. Shahid 6-0, 6-1.

Second round

Idrees Kodvavi and Yousuf Suleman bt Amin Bawani and Fhilippo Giuseppe 6-1, 6-1.

45 plus doubles semi-final

Azheruddin and Karim Gul Agha bt Khawaja Masroor and Shahid Aziz 6-2, 6-2.

Saturday's fixtures

Singles finals 4.00pm; doubles finals 5.00pm.

Opinion

Editorial

Dar in Kabul
Updated 22 Apr, 2025

Dar in Kabul

Kabul must ensure that the TTP and other anti-Pakistan groups are put out of business.
Ready to talk
22 Apr, 2025

Ready to talk

ADVISER to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah’s phone calls to Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon regarding...
Grassroots governance
22 Apr, 2025

Grassroots governance

WHEN something as basic as a functioning union council is absent in over a quarter of Balochistan’s areas more ...
Middle East carnage
Updated 21 Apr, 2025

Middle East carnage

It seems that to many in the world, people of Yemen and occupied Palestine are not human.
A new page
21 Apr, 2025

A new page

FOREIGN Secretary Amna Baloch’s trip to Dhaka has breathed new life into Pakistan’s long-dormant relationship...
No stone unturned
21 Apr, 2025

No stone unturned

WHILE the absence of new polio cases since Feb 10 is welcome news, this pause in transmission must not breed...