Pakistani players reach boys’ quarterfinals at Subh-e-Nau ITF junior event

ISLAMABAD: The Subh-e-Nau ITF Pakistan Junior International Tennis Championship (Leg-II) continued at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad, where junior players from a wide range of countries competed in boys’ and girls’ matches.

According to the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), the tournament has drawn 22 boys and 19 girls from 15 countries. The participating nations are Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia, Russia, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Thailand.

The event is being held under the PTF and is backed by Bank Alfalah, Serena Hotel Islamabad, Mri Energlies, Arif Habib Group of Companies and Subh-e-Nau. The championship is providing junior players an opportunity to compete against international opponents while adding to Pakistan’s role as a venue for global junior tennis events.

Pakistani boys advance

In the boys’ singles competition, five Pakistani players booked places in the quarterfinals. Mikaael Ali Baig, Hamza Roman, Abubakar Talha, Amir Mazari and Ahtesham Humayun all moved into the last-eight stage after their respective results.

Mikaael Ali Baig registered a one-sided win against Pakistan’s Abdaar Ali, taking the match 6-0, 6-0. Hamza Roman also progressed in straight sets after defeating Jamie Chen of Hong Kong 6-3, 6-3.

Ahtesham Humayun came through a three-set contest against Turkey’s Sarp Akan Ercan, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Abubakar Talha advanced after China’s Ruoyu Hua retired from their match, while Amir Mazari went through on a walkover after India’s Agarwal was unable to play.

The boys’ draw also saw players from China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong secure victories, underlining the competitive standard of the tournament.

International players progress in girls’ draw

In the second round of the girls’ singles event, several overseas players advanced to the next stage. China’s Yitong Lu moved forward via walkover.

Russia’s Varvara Rubtsova defeated Japan’s Kiko Okuyama in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. Kazakhstan’s Safiia Urazalina beat Pakistan’s Romaisa Malik 6-0, 6-1, while China’s Ai Teng recorded a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Poland’s Yuliia Artiuhina.

China’s Zhiyyu Zhou and Yijia Wang also posted convincing wins in their matches. In another result, Yelizaveta Slepchenko defeated Pakistan’s Zunaisha Noor 6-3, 6-4 in a closely contested match.

Japan, Thailand and Kazakhstan were also represented in tightly fought contests as the championship continued in Islamabad with a strong international field.