Proficient Nauman Aftab & Saqib Hayat continues to reach finals of ITF Pakistan Junior Tennis Championships

The Pakistani pair of Nauman Aftab and Saqib Hayat moved into the final of the ITF Pakistan Junior Tennis Championships in Islamabad. 

In the semi-finals of boys’ doubles category, third seed pair of Nauman and Saqib stunned the top seed duo of Luca Emanuel of Germany and Daniel Webb of Britain 7-6(3), 6-3.

In the other semi-final, fourth seed Korean pair of Gunuk Kang and Min-Joon Kim overpowered second seed Pakistani pair of Huzaifa Abdu Rehman and Shoaib Khan 2-6, 7-6(2) [10-7]. However, Shoaib and Huzaifa managed to reach the semi-finals of singles category.

Pakistan’s Shoaib Khan caused a major upset when he defeated top seed Daniel Webb in the boys singles quarter-final. Fifth seed Shoaib overwhelmed the Briton in the match lasting three hours and 15 minutes. 

In an exciting opening set, the score was 5-5 before Webb claimed it 7-5. Making a comeback, Shoaib took a 3-1 lead in the second set by breaking the third game of Webb who committed two double faults.

In a seesaw battle, Webb moved ahead 5-3 by breaking the sixth and eighth games of his opponent. Shoaib raised his game to make it 5-5 all by breaking ninth game of Webb as the set went into tiebreak. The Pakistani player which eventually won the set 7-4 after trailing 2-4 in the tiebreak.

Now in full control, Shoaib comfortably bagged the set 6-1 by breaking the third, fifth and seventh games of Webb, and with it the match.

Second seed Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat eighth seed and compatriot Kamil Ahmed 6-4, 6-2. Third seed Kim Min-Joon of South Korea proved too good for Pakistan’s Saqib Hayat as the former won the match 6-3, 6-2. The winner faces Huzaifa in the semi-final.