Daily Times

LAHORE: The 6th Hassan Tariq Rahim National Ranking Tennis Tournament aroused,vitalized and stimulated the tennis activity at the hard courts of Lahore Gymkhana during the course of the quarterfinal between 22 years old Yousaf Khalil of Peshawar and the hitherto unchallenged champion Aqeel Khan here on Thursday.An undisputed mover and shaker of Pakistan tennis over the past two decades, Aqeel was coerced into submission by Khalil,the upcoming proficient one whose passion and willingness to augment his game astounded everyone. During the course of his quarterfinal encounter with Aqeel, this 8th ranked tennis player of the country was relentless in his pursuit of victory and added to that his foot speed and top spin made him a force to be reckoned with and in the match where he was graded as the fall guy, he adapted his capability to the tough situation in an outstanding manner. He certainly toned down and dispirited his accomplished adversary by upping the velocity of his serves,rallying with self-assurance and showing no hesitation in rushing to the net frequently and robbing his capable opponent of time to attack and all this dominance amounted to a stellar showing on his part.

All through the opening set consistency of Khalil was discernible.He served well and returned well easing his way to a winning score of 6-2.And in the second set Aqeel looked a little more purposeful and resolute but found his young adversary flawless and impeccable and had to concede the set 7-6(6).Khalil managed to oust the national star 6-2,7-6(6).This is the first time that Aqeel will not appear in the men’s finals of the Hassan Tariq Rahim Tennis Tournament.The past five titles have all been won by him.In the other men’s singles quarterfinals, Muzzamal Murtaza toppled Shehzad Khan 6-1 ,4-0 (retired), MAbid beat Heera Ashiq 6-2,6-2 and Muhammad Shoaib forced out Mudassar Murtaza 6-2 and 7-6(4).The semifinals will be battled out on Saturday (tomorrow).

Triumphant ones in doubles matches were the pairings of Muzamil Murtaza and Mudassar Murtuza, Muhammad Abid and Muhammad Waqas Malik, Ahmad Chaudhary and Abdaal Haider.In women’s matches, Ushna Sohail dispatched off NidaSohail with ease and visible was her adroitness and mastery. In the other match, Esha Jawad subjugated Ashtafila Arif. The boys who ended up reaching the semifinals were Semi Zeb Khan and Mahatir Muhammad.