Qamar upsets Akshay Vishal Rao

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10: Pakistan junior No. 1 Nomi Qamar executed his strokes deep and on both the sides to force his rival second seed Punwi...

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10: Pakistan junior No. 1 Nomi Qamar executed his strokes deep and on both the sides to force his rival second seed Punwire trainee Akshay Vishal Rao to commit errors in the boys quarter-final singles match at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association courts in Sector 10 here today. The local favourite, Rao, frequently hit wide or long with his run-in chip shots and bowed out in the Centurion ITF Tennis Circuit. The unseeded 17-year-old Pakistani player scored an unexpected straight set 6-3, 6-4 victory.

At the adjacent court another seeded player to crash out of the competition was third seed Karan Doctor, who fell to sixth seed Vishal Punna, who laboured to shock his tough rival 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Top seed Kedar Tembe and unseeded Kedar Shah, both of India, moved into the semi-finals from the upper half. Kedar Tembe snuffed out the challenge of Pakistan’s Ahmed Wahla, the fifth seed, in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Kedar Shah was at ease against Amanjot Singh whom he beat 6-3, 6-2.

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Earlier, in a pre-quarter-final match, Amanjot Singh had to bring out all his best to pip Ashutosh Singh in a marathon 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Karan Doctor was also stretched to three sets by qualifier Ritesh Chitlangia before Karan Doctor won 6-0, 1-6, 7-5.

Sixteen-year-old Nida Waseem, the lone woman entry from Pakistan, held the spotlight on her way to girls’ singles semi-final. The sixth seed defeated fourth seed Radhika Mandke of India 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Nida will now meet topseeded Sheetal Gautam who eliminated Olga Dzyuba of Kazakastan 6-3, 6-3.

Second seed Shruti Dhawan and third seed Radhika Tulpule joined them in the semi-finals. Shruti, a former CLTA trainee, ousted Valeriya Khazova of Kazakastan 7-5, 6-4 while Tulpule accounted for Poland’s Marta Malinowska 6-4, 6-4.

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