Pak players fail to reach ITF Futures semis

KARACHI: No Pakistani player reached the semifinals of both singles and doubles categories in the $15000 ITF Futures Tennis Tournament at PTF Complex in Islamabad on Thursday.

Pakistan’s only hope Mohammad Abid lost to third seed Ti Chen from Taipei 1-6, 3-6 in the quarterfinals of men’s singles. In other quarterfinal matches, second seed Rio Noguchi from Japan defeated fifth seed Kai Wehnelt from Germany 7-6, 6-4 while top seed Kim Cheon Eui from Korea beat Saidal’o Saidkarimov from Uzbekistan 6-4, 6-1, and Alexis Canter from Great Britain overpowered fourth seed Sora Fukuda from Japan 6-3, 6-7, 7-5.

Similarly, the local pair of Heera Ashiq and Mudassar Murtaza were beaten by the third seed duo of Eui Kim from Korea and Rio Noguchi from Japan 4-6, 2-6 in the quarterfinals of the doubles category.

In other quarterfinal matches of the said category, the fourth seed pair of Darko Jandric from Serbia and Shonigmatjon Shoeyziyev from Uzbekistan overpowered the duo of Mohammad Abid from Pakistan and Mohammad Waqas Malik from Canada 6-3, 4-6, 10-3.

The second seed Russian pair of Alexander Pavliouchenkov and Vladimir Polyakov thrashed the duo of Dmitry Myagkov from Russia and Saida’lo Saidkarimov from Uzbekistan 6-1, 7-5. The top seed pair of Anton Chekhov from Russia and Kai Wehnelt from Germany won against the duo of Sora Fukuda from Japan and Ray Ho from Taipei 7-6, 2-6, 10-6.