UK’s Iman checks into junior tennis quarters

ISLAMABAD: Iman Khan from UK checked into the girls’ singles quarter-finals of the PTF President ITF World J5 Junior Tennis Championships 2021 after a comprehensive win against Margarita Okhendovskaya of Ukraine here at the PTF Complex Wednesday.

Iman won 6-0, 6-4 to move into the last eight stage. Iman, who yearns to play for Pakistan in days to come, showed brilliant court coverage to oust Ukrainian opponent in style. She did not give any room to her opponent in the first and despite Okhendovskaya’s recovery in the second, she stood tall to take the set and the match.

It was curtains for Pakistan in the boys’ singles where lone survivor Sami Zeb was beaten in three sets. Siddhartha Lama (USA) got the better of Sami Zeb (PAK) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to make it to the quarter-finals.

Sami was the only Pakistan juniors to have won his first-round match. Despite losing the second, Lama came back strongly to win the third in one-sided affair.

Salim Saifullah Khan President Pakistan Tennis Federation visited PTF complex to witness some of the matches.

Results: Boys’ singles second round: Dmitry Dolzhenkov (RUS) bt Raahim Agha (GBR) 7-5, 6-0; Siddhartha Lama (USA) bt Sami Zeb Khan (PAK) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Carl Holder (FRA) bt Oscar Baumgartner (SUI) 6-2, 6-3; Andrey Kozlov (RUS) bt Lorant Gyori (HUN) 6-2, 7-5; Birtan Duran (TUR) bt Abraar Iqbal (USA) 6-1, 6-3; Sam Kydd Baumgartner (SUI) bt Amir Asylkozhaev (RUS) 6-1, 6-0; Artiom Dorofeev (FRA) bt Meethre Barot (USA) 7-5, 6-3; Yakup Uzunel (DEN) bt Aoi Ooka (JPN) 7-6(2), 6-0.

Boys’ doubles quarter-finals: Carl Holder (FRA) & Yakup Uzunel (DEN) bt Hamid Israr (PAK) & Sami Zeb Khan (PAK) 6-1, 4-6 [10-6]; Sam Kydd Baumgartner (SUI) & Birtan Duran (TUR) bt Meethre Barot (USA) & Siddhartha Lama (USA) 7-5, 6-4; Toa Maeda (JPN) & Aoi Ooka (JPN) bt Andrey Kozlov (RUS) & Ruslan Serazhetdinov (RUS) 6-3, 5-7 [10-7]; Dmitry Dolzhenkov (RUS) & Artiom Dorofeev (FRA) bt Dev Kanbargimath (ROU) & Ahmad Nael Qureshi (PAK) 6-3, 6-1.

Girls’ singles second round: Iman Khan (GBR) bt Margarita Okhendovskaya (UKR) 6-0, 6-4; Arina Arifullina (RUS) bt Eda Numanoglu (TUR) 6-1,6-4; Alaia Rubio Perez (GBR) bt Ekaterina Suvorova (RUS) 6-2, 6-0; Maria Pukhina (RUS) bt Dorsa Cheraghi (IRI) 6-3, 6-1; Ines Faltinger (AUT) bt Tamara Ermakova (RUS) 6-1, 6-1.

Girls’ doubles quarter-finals: Mariia Masiianskaia (RUS) & Margarita Okhendovskaya (UKR) bt Amna Qayum (USA) & Natalia Zaman (PAK) 6-1, 6-1; Iman Khan (GBR) & Alaia Rubio Perez (GBR) bt Dorsa Cheraghi (IRI) & Ines Faltinger (AUT) 7-5, 7-5; Tamara Ermakova (RUS) & Maria Pukhina (RUS) bt Sheeza Sajid (PAK) & Zahra Suleman (PAK) 6-0, 6-0; Ekaterina Suvorova (RUS) & Avrora Volkova (RUS) bt Mahrukh Farooqui (PAK) & Zara Khan (PAK) 6-1, 6-0.