ISLAMABAD: The pair of Pakistan’s Haider Ali Rizwan and Abu Bakar Talha sealed a spot in the ITF Pakistan World Junior Tennis Championship (Leg 2) doubles final after beating the duo of Japan’s Yota Nishikori and South Korea’s Youngchae Oh 6-3, 3-6 (10-7) here at the PTF Tennis Complex on Thursday.

Haider and Abu Bakar will meet compatriots Ahmad Nael Qureshi and Bilal Asim in the title decider, after they comfortably overcame the Thai pair of Pudit and Teetawat, winning 6-3, 6-4.

Ahmed and Bilal also won their respective matches in the boys’ singles category to make the tournament’s semi-finals. While Ahmad beat South Korea’s Minwoo Kim 6-1, 6-2, Bilal got a walkover over compatriot Moha­mmad Talha Khan, who withdrew from the match due to a shoulder injury.

Abu Bakar could also have made it to the singles semis had it not been for his 6-3, 7-5 defeat at the hands of China’s Xiuyuan Guo. South Korea’s Sion Ji beat compatriot Oh 6-1, 6-0 to make it to the last four.

In the girls’ singles quarter-finals Kazakhstan’s Karolina Ligai beat South Korea’s Yeon Joo Cha 6-4, 6-1, Japan’s Hinata Wada defeated A Hyun Jo of South Korea 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, Sri Lanka’s Dinara De Silva overcame South Korea’s So Yuna 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Russia’s Elizaveta Privalova was beaten Chaeirn Lee of South Korea 6-4, 6-3.

Published in Dawn, November 22th, 2024