LAHORE, April 14: Giant-killer Yasir Butt (Punjab), a qualifier, created another big upset stunning third seed Shahnawaz (Punjab) to enter the final of the national junior squash boys championship Under-19 event at the Punjab Squash Complex courts on Monday.

Yasir who had defeated second seed Khalid Atlas in the quarterfinals on Sunday, played the longest match of the championship lasting 75 minutes to beat Shahnawaz in a well contested three straight games 10-8, 9-7, 9-6.

Yasir will meet the top seed Safeer Khan (PAF), the British Open Junior champion, in the final to be played on Tuesday.

Yasir and Shahnawaz matched each other point for point till 8-8 before the former earned two winners to build up a confident start against a much superior rival. Yasir with confidence soaring, won the second game 9-7, after breaking into a sweat. Now at his peak, Yasir the third game dropped only six points to earn another significant victory of his career.

Top seed Safeer, however, proved too good for Faisal Zaman also from PAF in other prefinals, disposing off Faisal’s challenge in only 25 minutes. Safeer moved into the final with a 9-5, 9-5, 9-0 scoreline.

In the boys Under-17 sections, Aqib Hanif (Punjab) struggled hard before reserving a place in the final. He defeated Haider Jamal (Punjab) in four games in the first semifinal 9-2, 5-9, 10-8, 9-0. Aqib got off to a fine start losing only two points to win the first game.

But Haider took full advantage of Aqib’s unforced errors and levelled the match 1-1, winning the second game. Aqib aware that his rival could be dangerous if let loose further, produced a much better game and won the next two games in a row to book a place in the final.

The second prefinal between Farhan Mehboob and Farzan Rasheed was in progress when this report was filed. Farhan was leading 1-0.

In the Under-15 event, Alamzeb and Amir Atlas cruised into the final. Alamzeb toppled Rehmanullah easily 9-1, 9-0,9-6 while Amir brushed aside Alam Khan 9-2, 9-1, 9-0. In the Under-13 section, Waqar Mehboob and Shoaib Hassan have qualified for the final.

Waqar crushed Danish Atlas 9-2, 9-1, 9-3 while Shoaib ousted Ibrahim Umar 9-1, 10-8, 9-5 win in second prefinal. In the girls’ section, Sara Awan won the Under-19 title, defeating Misbah Rani in three straight games final 9-3, 9-3,9-1. Misbah who displayed good performance in the previous matches went down tamely in the important match. In the Under-17 event, Alyia Sarfraz won the title beating Gul Nawaz in another one-sided final 9-2, 9-7, 9-4.

In Under-15, Maria Gul and Amina Mehboob will meet in the final on Tuesday. Maria dislodged Zoyia Khalid 9-0, 9-0, 9-6 in the first semifinal. On the other hand, Amina faced good opposition from Maleeha Shahid before earning a 9-5, 7-9, 10-9, 9-6 win.

Marhaba and Roshna also entered the Under-13 final. Marhaba beat Beenish Khan in a gruelling semifinal 9-5, 5-9, 5-9, 9-2, 9-0. Beenish after a sluggish start came back in the match and won the next two games to take control on the situtation. But Marhaba a player with tremendous stamina, player restored parity 2-2 by winning the fourth game easily. She was more aggressive in the decisive fifth and grabbed it without dropping a point.

Roshana also laboured hard to beat Qandeel Fatima in another five game second semifinals with the score of 10-8, 9-5, 3-9, 6- 9, 9-1. Losing first two games, Qandeel tried her best to make a match from it and won the next two games to be on even keel 2-2. But Roshana did not allow Qandeel to advance further and won the fifth game rather easily.

Results:

Boys: Under-19: Semifinal: Safeer Khan bt Faisal Zaman 9-5, 9-5, 9-0; Yasir Butt bt Shahnawaz 10-8, 9-7, 9-6.

Under-17: Aqib Hanif bt Haider Jamal 9-2, 5-9, 10-8, 9-0; Second semifinal in progress.

Under-15: Alamzeb beat Rehmanullah 9-1, 9-0, 9-6; Amir Atlas bt Alam Khan 9-2, 9-1, 9-0.

Under-13: Waqar Mehboob bt Danish Atlas 9-2, 9-1, 9-3; Shoaib Hassan bt Ibrahim Umar 9-1, 10-8, 9-5.

Girls: Under-19: (Final) Sara Awan bt Misbah Rani 9-3, 9-3, 9-1.

Under-17 (final): Alyia Sarfraz bt Gul Nawaz 9-2, 9-7, 9-4.

Under-15 (semifinals): Maria Zoyia Khalid 9-0, 9-0, 9-6; Amina Mahboob bt Maleeha Shahid 9-5, 7-9, 10-9, 9-6.

Under-13 (semifinals); Marhaba bt Beenish Khan 9-5, 5-9, 5-9, 9- 2, 9-0; Roshana bt Qandeel Fatima 10-8, 9-5, 3-9, 6-9, 9-1.