WAPDA and Punjab enter final of 61st National Table Tennis Championship

PESHAWAR: WAPDA and Punjab moved into the final of the team event at the 61st National Table Tennis Championship after winning their respective semi-finals on Wednesday.

In the first semi-final, WAPDA beat hosts Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to secure a place in the title-deciding match. The contest was described as closely fought, but WAPDA went on to win the tie 3-0 and advance to the final.

In the other semi-final, Punjab defeated Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) 3-1 to book their place in the final against WAPDA.

Provincial Minister for Sports Taj Muhammad Khan Trand attended the event as chief guest. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Director General Sports Tashfeen Haider, Pakistan Table Tennis Federation Secretary Ijaz Ahmad, Vice President and Chief Organizer Kafayatullah Khan, along with other officials, were also present.

Semi-final results

For WAPDA, senior player Asim Qureshi put in a strong display in the opening semi-final and defeated Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Osman 3-1. WAPDA then kept control of the remaining matches to complete a 3-0 victory and move into the final.

In the second semi-final, Punjab’s senior player Awais opened with a straight-games win over OGDCL’s Irtiza, taking the match 11-7, 11-9, 11-3. OGDCL responded in the second singles when Hadi beat Punjab’s Taimoor 12-10, 14-12, 11-3.

Punjab regained the lead in the third match through Abu Huraira, who overcame Rehan 13-11, 11-4, 11-3. In the reverse singles, Taimoor sealed the tie for Punjab with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 victory over Irtiza.

Minister praises standard of play

Speaking at the event, Taj Muhammad Khan Trand praised the standard of competition on display. He said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government was taking every possible step to promote sports in the province.

He added that talented players in the province were being given the best available facilities and said those delivering outstanding performances would receive scholarships and cash prizes.

At the end of the ceremony, the minister met players and interacted with athletes who had arrived from different parts of the country. The players appreciated the minister’s interest in the development of sports.

The final between WAPDA and Punjab is scheduled to be played on Thursday.