Hamid, Bilal start with impressive wins

ISLAMABAD: Rising Pakistan youngster Hamid Israr defeated Turkey’s Eshref Kaan Kacar in a three-hour seesaw match on the opening day of the ITF Pakistan AJ Towers World Junior Championship here on Monday.

After losing the opening set 6-3, the 15-year-old Hamid bounced back to win the second set with the same margin. In the decisive set, both the players held their own serve in the decisive set which was eventually clinched by the Pakistan youngster 7-6(3) in a tiebreak.

Other prominent performances in the boys singles were by Pakistan’s Bilal Asim who outplayed India’s Evaan Luthra 6-0, 6-0 while in another match Yahya Luni of Great Britain retired after losing the first set 6-0 giving Pakistan’s Asad Zaman the victory.

Results (first round):

Boys singles: Asad Zaman (Pakistan) bt Yahya Luni (Great Britain) 6-0 — retired; Nikita Bortnichek (Russia) bt Shehyaar Anees (Pakistan) 6-2, 6-2; Mehmet Onur Turgut (Turkey) bt Mohammad Zaryab Khan (Pakistan) 6-0, 6-0; Aldiyar Abzhan (Kazakhstan) bt Ibrahim Ashraf (Pakistan) 6-0, 6-0; Ruslan Serazhetdinov (Russia) bt Huzamia Abdul Rehman (Pakistan) 6-4, 6-2; Ahmed Nael (Pakistan) bt Mohammad Ali (Canada) 6-4, 6-1; Bilal Asim (Pakistan) bt Evaan Luthra (India) 6-0, 6-0; Ivan Iutkin (Russia) bt Hasheesh Kumar (Pakistan) 6-2, 6-4; Hamid Israr (Pakistan) bt Eshref Kaan Kacar (Turkey) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3); Semi Zeb Khan (Pakistan) bt Adilbek Myrzaguzhin (Kazakhstan) 7-6(4), 3-0 — retired; Arial Kayra Tuna (Turkey) bt Athesham Humayun (Pakistan) 6-2, 6-0; Meciej Zarebski (Poland) bt Ibrahim Sohail (Pakistan) 6-0, 6-1

Girls singles: Aleksandra Bortnichek (Russia) bt Taira Abildayeva (Kazakhstan) 6-3, 6-3; Eunsoo LEE (Korea) Vlada Budkina (Russia) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2; Sa Rang Lim (Korea) bt Geetangali Angati (India) 6-0, 6-1.