Aqeel off to winning start in Kulsum F-2 Tennis

ISLAMABAD: Top Pakistan player Aqeel Khan got off to winning start in the Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan ITF Futures-2 (F-2) Tennis Tournament at the PTF Complex on Tuesday. Aqeel beat Shamael Chaudhry (Gbr) 7-5, 6-1. Shamael did well to put up a decent show in the first set where Pakistan No 1 finally broke his serve to go 1-0 set up.

In the second set, Shamael was no match to Aqeel and Pakistan win with utmost ease.Second seed Rio Noguchi made short work of Muhammad Abid Ali Khan Akbar beating in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Abid was in no mood to show resistance or seriousness to take the match to his opponent. Pakistan’s Yousaf Khalil (Pak) was the other local making it to the next round with easy win against Mudassir Murtaza (Pak) 6-4, 6-3.

Results: Cheong-Eui Kim (Kor) bt Ahmad Asjad Qureshi (Pak) 6-0, 6-0; Ray Ho (Tpe) bt Filip Fichtel (Ger) 6-3, 6-1; Alexis Canter (Gbr) bt Muzammil Murtaza (Pak) 6-4, 6-0; Darko Jandric (Srb) bt Hayat Saqib (Pak) 6-1, 6-0; Niklas Johansson (Swe) bt Abdaal Haider (Pak) 6-4, 7-5; Lorenzo Bocchi (Ita) bt Chandril Sood (Ind) 6-1, 6-2; Hamidreza Nadaf (Iri) [7] bt Shonigmatjon Shofayziyev (Uzb) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3: Yousaf Khalil (Pak) bt Mudassir Murtaza (Pak) 6-4, 6-3; Rio Noguchi bt Abid Ali Khan Akbar 6-2, 6-2; Dmitry Myagkov (Rus) bt M Shoaib (Pak) 6-3, 6-4; Aqeel Khan (Pak) bt Shamael Ch (Gbr) 7-5, 6-1; Saida’lo Saidkarimov (Uzb) bt Heera Ashiq (Pak) 6-3, 6-3; Kai Wehnelt (Ger) bt M Abid (Pak) 6-2, 6-2; Anton Chekhov (Rus) bt Michal Wozniak (Pol) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1; Sora Fukuda (Jpn) bt Alexander (Rus) 6-3, 6-4; Worovin Kumthonkittikul (Tha) bt Ahmed Ch (Pak) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Meanwhile, the Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament also got under way on Tuesday.

Results: Boys singles u-18 (1st round): Kashan Umar bt Ahmed Nael 6-0, 6-0; Hasam Khan w/o M.Huzaifa Khan; Abdul Hanan Khan bt Hamidullah Yaqub 6-2, 6-0; Kamran Khan bt Hamza Jawad 6-2, 6-2; Hamza Asim bt Sikander Amin 6-1, 6-1; Subhan Bin Salik bt Uzair Khan 3-6, 7-5, 7-5; Azan Sajid w/O Talha Khan; Faizan Shahid bt Huzaima Abdul Rehman 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Boys singles under-14 (1st round): Abdul Basit W/O Hammad Shah; Kashan Umar bt Kamran Khan 6-3, 7-5; Ahmed Nael bt Hamid ullah Yaqub 6-1, 2-6, 6-3; Talha Khan bt Azan Sajid 6-1, 6-1; Abdul Hanan bt Haziq Asim 6-1, 6-0.