WAPDA retain table tennis team titles

KARACHI: WAPDA strongly defended crowns of both men’s and women’s team events when they defeated Army in finals of the 54th National Table Tennis Championship here at the Majeed Khan Gymnasium of Islamia Club on Monday.

In the men’s team event final, WAPDA overwhelmed Army 3-1. WAPDA went 0-1 down when Swat-born Mohammad Rameez lost to Salman Virk 1-3 in the opening game. The set score was 9-11, 15-13, 9-11, 7-11.

Highly experienced, former national champion Asim Qureshi brought WAPDA back in the game when he whacked Army’s Fahad Khwaja 3-1 with the set score of 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2. Ali Faisal then provided 2-1 lead to WAPDA, crafting a 3-0 victory against Faizan Zahoor. The set score was 11-9, 17-15 and 11-6 in Ali’s favour.

Asim then whacked Salman Virk 3-0 with the set score of 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 to complete the rout.In the women’s team event decider, WAPDA crushed Army 3-0. The country’s leading peddlar Ayesha Sharjeel, who will defend her women’s singles title, got the better of Farwa Babar of Army to provide a 1-0 lead to WAPDA. The set score was 11-6, 11-3, 11-9. Sadia Falak Sher then outshone Farah Ilyas 3-2 after a razor-tight encounter to double WAPDA’s lead. The set score remained 7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8.

Sanam Yaseen beat Seemab Alam 3-2 to complete a well-deserved victory. The set score was 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8.Men’s singles first round: Owais Mukhtar (WAPDA) bt Shahzad Bashir (Chromatex) (3-0) 11-5, 11-9, 11-5; Taimoor Khan (Chromatex) bt Nayyar Ali Zaidi (OGDCL) (3-1) 11-3, 10-12, 12-10, 11-2; Hassan Haider (Railways) bt Fareed Malik (Punjab) (3-0) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7; Durab Ahmed (Sindh) bt Qamar Saeed (Balochistan) (3-0) 11-9, 11-7, 13-11; Subhan Asim (HEC) bt Ayaz Lagari (Chromatex) (3-0) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8; Farrukh Kamal (Balochistan) bt Mohsin Raza (Punjab) (3-2) 12-14, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9; Basit Ali (NHA) bt Furqan Patel (Sindh) (3-1) 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5; Saad Nadeem (Islamabad) bt Waleed Azam (AJK) (3-1) 13-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8; Atta Abbas (Sindh) bt Mehdi Azhar (Sindh) (3-0) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5; Kaif Raiz (Sindh) bt Rafiq Sarhadi (Punjab) (3-1) 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-9; Bilal Ahmed (Islamabad) bt Osama (Islamabad) (3-0) 11-4, 11-8, 11-6; Wajeeh Uddin (Balochistan) bt Asad Ali (AJK) (3-1) 13-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7; Arsalan Alvi (Sindh) bt Najeeb Uddin (OGDCL) (3-0) 11-3, 11-5, 11-5; Mian Abrar Ali (KP) bt Saad Naeem (Islamabad) (3-0) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9; AH Bhatti (Sindh) bt Shahzad Hussain (OGDCL) (3-0) 11-8, 13-11, 11-8; Farhan Hashim (Sindh) bt Muhammad Ahmed (Punjab) (3-0) 11-1, 11-2, 11-3; Nouman Zara (NHA) bt Sheraz Razzak (Punjab) (3-0) 11-8, 11-9, 11-2; Usman Amjad (Punjab) bt Anees Yasir (Punjab) (3-1) 10-12, 11-4, 12-10, 11-8; Abdul Islam (WAPDA) bt Shams (Balochistan) (3-0) 11-9, 11-7, 11-3; Shayan Farooq (KP) bt Usama Nathani (HEC) (3-0) 11-5, 11-5, 12-10; Haseeb-ur-Rehman (Railways) bt Umer Amjad (KP) (3-0) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7; Owais Ahmed (Railways) bt Raja Noman (OGDCL) (3-0) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5; Hassan Imam (Railways) bt Agha Ali (Balochistan) (3-0) 11-5, 11-7, 11-4; Hassan Ali (Islamabad) bt Seemab Hussain (AJK) (3-0) 13-11, 11-5, 11-8; Abdullah Nazeer (HEC) bt Sharjeel Khalid (KP) (3-0) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8; Asim Munir (Railways) bt Fawad Rana (Punjab) (3-1) 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10; Noman (AJK) W/O Abdul Majeed (Balochistan), Ummam Khuwaja (KP) W/O Umer Saeed (Islamabad), Walid Gul (Army) W/O Sardar Hamza (Islamabad), Usman (WAPDA) W/O Sajid Hussain (NHA), Arbaz Anwar (NHA) W/O Khawar Mehmood (Sindh)

Hussain Virani (Sindh) W/O Sohaib Shah (KP).

Men’s singles second round: Asim Qureshi (WAPDA) bt Farrukh Kamal (Balochistan) (3-0) 11-4, 11-3, 11-6; Salman Saleem (HEC) bt Noman (AJK) (3-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-3; Faizan Zahoor (Army) bt Walid Gul (Army) (3-0) 11-4, 11-6, 11-7; Owais Mukhtar (WAPDA) bt Muhammad Arbeel (Punjab) (3-0) 11-9, 11-8, 19-17; Shahzaib Raza (WAPDA) bt Taimoor Khan (Chromatex) (3-2) 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4; Ummam Khuwaja (KP) bt Akbar Shah (Sindh) (3-2) 11-13, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10; Basit Ali (NHA) bt Mohsin Sarwar (WAPDA) (3-2) 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8; Danish Ali (Army) bt Atta Abbas (Sindh) (3-1) 11-7, 13-11, 8-11, 11-3; Muhammad Hamza (Punjab) bt Durab Ahmed (Sindh) (3-2) 11-6, 11-6, 15-17, 9-11, 11-1; Faryal Minhas (WAPDA) bt Saad Nadeem (Islamabad) (3-2) 5-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9; Irtiza Ali (Punjab) bt Arbaz Anwar (NHA) (3-0) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6; Shujat Ali (WAPDA) bt Wajeed Uddin (Balochistan) (3-0) 15-13, 11-7, 11-7; Abdul Rehman (Army) bt Bilal Ahmed (Islamabad) (3-0) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7; Subhan Asim (HEC) bt Rehan Javaid (OGDCL) (3-1) 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 15-13; Kaif Raiz (Sindh) bt Raheel Qureshi (Sindh) (3-0) 11-8, 12-10, 11-7; Tariq Aziz (WAPDA) bt AH Bhatt (Sindh) (3-0) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9; Ubaid Shah (Army) bt Abdul Islam (WAPDA) (3-0) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7; Jahangir Khan (WAPDA) bt Usman (WAPDA) (3-2) 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8; Salman Virk (Army) bt Arsalan Alvi (Sindh) (3-1) 4-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5; Umair Hassan (Chromatex) bt Farhan Hashim (Sindh) (3-1) 11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 16-14; Hafeez ur Rehman (Punjab) bt Haseeb ur Rehman (Railways) (3-0) 11-3, 11-9, 11-6; Noman Zara (Sindh) bt Muhammad Afzal (Army) (3-2) 5-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8; Shah Khan (NHA) bt Abdullah Nazeer (HEC) (3-0) 11-9, 11-3, 11-7; Umer Zaka (AJK) bt Owais Ahmed (Railways) (3-0) 11-9, 14-12, 11-6; Aahil Shah (HEC) bt Hassan Ali (Islamabad) (3-0) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7; Fahim Raza (WAPDA) bt Shayan Farooq (KP) (3-0) 11-8, 12-10, 12-10; Muhammad Rameez (WAPDA) bt Hassan Imam (Railways) (3-1) 11-2, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8; Fahad Khuwaja (Army) bt Hussain Virani (Sindh) (3-0) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9; Owais Hassan (Chromatex) bt Asim Munir (WAPDA) (3-2) 12-10, 11-5, 10-12, 5-11, 11-9; Mian Absar Ali (KP) W/O Bilal Tariq (Sindh), Usman Amjad (Punjab) W/O Mehdi Raza (Sindh), Hassan Haider (Railways) W/O Hamza Godil (Railways).