Huzaifa, Zoha tame rivals to win ATF titles

Promising Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Zoha Asim outplayed their opponents to win the finals of ATF Pakistan U-14 championship here at a private farm house in Chack Shahzad.

The finals were slated to be held at PTF complex but due to heavy rains, the organizers of the event had to shift the matches to the indoor private courts of a farm house owned by former PIA chairman Nasir Jaffar.

Huzaifa, the top ranking junior player, won the title after defeating second seed Hamza Bin Rehan in straight sets. Both players played aggressively from the base line and were involved in long rallies. At one stage it was 6-all but then the top seed took the set with a tie-break to win 7-6.

In the second set, Huzaifa was more consistent than his opponent. He played good ground strokes and pushed Hamza to commit a number of unforced errors, winning the second set 6-2 as well as the title.

Huzaifa is now leaving for Vietnam on Saturday to take part in the Asian Division 1 Circuit which will commence from March 13. In his absence, it will be a good opportunity for Hamza to win the second leg, which is going to start form Monday.

In girls singles final, Zoha Asim who specifically flew from Dubai to take part in the championship, beat Rida Khan in a marathon 3-set final. Zoha won with the scoreline 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.

Both players played superbly but Zoha proved superior in the end to lift the title. The match, which lasted two hours, enthralled the audience including President PTF Salim Saifullah Khan who was the chief guest at the closing cermoney.

Khalid Rehmani, Secretary PTF, Major (Retd) Rashid Khan national and international coaches including Mahboob Khan, Hameed-ul-Haq, and Inamul Haq and PTF Complex Administrator Col (retd) Gul Rehman were also present on the occasion.

Syed Omer, a Malaysian coach, and Sri Lankan coach Minal Cooray were full of praise for the hospitality provided to them by the PTF throughout the tournament.

Arif Qureshi, ITF’s White Badge Chair Umpire, was the referee of the event. Speaking on the occasion, President PTF thanked all the national and international participants for making this event a great success. He announced to hold at least four ATF events next year. The PTF president also announced to hold two Asian Tennis Tour Men’s professional championships this year. Each tournament will carry US$5000 as cash prize, he said.

(Source: Dawn News)