Seeded players enter SNGPL squash semis

LAHORE: All the seeded players qualified for semifinals of the SNGPL Pakistan International Squash Circuit-II after defeating their respective opponents in the quarterfinals here at the Punjab Squash Complex on Thursday.

In the first quarterfinal top seed Farhan Zaman defeated Kashif Asif 11/6, 11/5, 11/9 whereas wildcard entrant Kashif had no answers to powerful shots and technical game of Farhan Zaman and lost his encounter 3-0 in just 19 minutes.

Another Pakistan squash hope Farhan Mehboob once again showed his class against spirited Asim Khan by defeating him 7/11, 11/9, 13/11, 8/11, 11/6 after a tough battle in 79 minutes.

Another match of the day was contested between two 4th seed Tayyab Aslam and 7th seed Amaad Fareed and ultimate the winner was Tayyab Aslam who won the epic encounter 3-2 in 67 minutes. Tayyab though couldn’t start well as he lost the first game by 9/11, yet he made a strong comeback and won the next two games in a row by 11/3 and 12/10. Amaad then changed his game plan, which paid dividend and he succeeded in the winning the fourth game 11/9. In the fifth and decisive game, Tayyab faced tough resistance from his opponent before winning it 11/9.

Ahsan Ayaz beat Syed Azlan Amjad 7/11, 11/3, 11/4, 11/5 in 28 minutes. On Friday Farhan Zaman will take on Farhan Mehboob in the first semifinal at 4pm while Tayyab Aslam will vie against Ahsan Ayaz in the second semifinal at 4.45pm.

In the senior women quarterfinals, Saima Shaukat thrashed Noorena Shams 11/0, 11/2, 11/3 in 11 minutes, Madina Zafar routed Zahab Kamal Khan 11/4, 11/3, 11/6 in 14 minutes, Faiza Zafar outlasted Noorul Huda 11/3, 11/6, 11/6 in 17 minutes while Riffat Khan beat Zoya Khalid 9/11, 11/3, 9/11, 11/4, 11/5 in 42 minutes. On Friday Saima Shaukat will face Madina Zafar in the first semifinal at 2.30 pm while Faiza Zafar will be pitted against Riffat Khan in the second semifinal at 3.15pm.