HTR Masters Cup Tennis: Aqeel, Ushna reach singles finals

LAHORE: Pakistan’s number one men and ladies players Aqeel Khan and Ushna Suhail have reached their respective singles finals of the 4th Hassan Tariq Rahim (HTR) Masters Cup (Invitational) Tennis Tournament being played here at Lahore Gymkhana Courts on saturday.

These two top ranked players will take on Muhammad Abid and Sara Mehboob Khan in the finals to be played at the same venue on Sunday.

In other semi-finals matches of boy’s under-18 played on the day, M Shoaib and Huzaifa Abdul Rehman have booked place in the final to be held before the men’s and ladies title matches. Both the men’s singles semi-finals generated a lot of commotion. Aqeel and Abid were tested to the fullest by their rivals Ahmed Ch and Muzamil Murtaza.

Aqeel, known for playing long rallies, was taken to a tie break in both the sets by Muzamil but his (Aqeel’s) experience came handy for the national number one to win. Aqeel went full length to get the first tie-break 7-6 (5) and later in the second set too he had to fight for a 7-5 win.

Abid was tested by Ahmed on a number of occasions. Abid’s first set win was a chikld’s play for him as he won 6-0. He had no opposition from Ahmed. But the second set was an opposite of the first. Ahmed turned the tide on Abid by winning the second set after a close fight 7-6 (2). Now equal on sets, the fight started for supremacy and a place in the final. Here Abid proved much stronger and won the third set and the match 6-2.

Sara Mehboob and Ushna faced little trouble in booking their place in the final. Sara Mehboob after some exceptional guts from the losing player Sara Mansoor turned out to be the winner 6-2 and 6-4 whereas Ushna played a one-sided game. Only her own mistakes allowed her rival Mehak Khokhar gain a couple of points. Ushna grabbed 6-0 win in the first set and despite losing concentration claimed the second set 6-4 and the match. In the under-18 semi-finals, M Shoaib struggled to beat Abdullah Adnan 6-3, and 7-6 (2) and Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat M Nauman Aftab in straight sets 6-1 and 6-2.