Double delight for Mikaeel as he marches into ITF Junior finals
By Nawaz Gohar ; Pakistan’s rising tennis talent Mikaeel Ali Baig produced an impressive all-round performance to reach both the singles and doubles finals at the Subh-e-Nau ITF Pakistan Junior International Tennis Championship (Leg-II), currently underway at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad.
Baig will now face Sri Lanka’s Ganuka Fernando in the Boys’ Singles final after both players emerged victorious in their respective semifinal encounters, setting up an exciting title clash.
In a gripping semifinal, Baig edged past fellow Pakistani Abubakar Talha in a hard-fought three-set battle, winning 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-4. The match showcased high-quality tennis, with Baig holding his nerve in the निर्णायक moments to secure his place in the final.
Fernando, on the other hand, advanced with a straight-sets victory over Pakistan’s Amir Mazari, winning 6-1, 6-4 to confirm his spot in the title decider.
Baig’s success was not limited to singles. In the Boys’ Doubles event, he teamed up with compatriot Ahtesham Humayun to book a place in the final. The Pakistani duo displayed excellent coordination and control to defeat Zohaib Afzal Malik and M. Yahya in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
They will now meet the pair of Ganuka Fernando and Hong Kong’s Jayden Park, who overcame Jamie Chen (HKG) and Masamune Matsumoto (JPN) 6-2, 7-5 in their semifinal.
Meanwhile, the Girls’ Singles category will see a final between Russia’s Varvara Rubtsova and China’s Zhiyu Zhou. Rubtsova secured her berth with a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win over China’s Yijiia Wang, while Zhou defeated compatriot Zihan Feng 6-3, 6-3 in the other semifinal.
In the Girls’ Doubles event, Ai Teng and Zhiyu Zhou of China advanced to the final after a hard-fought victory over Japan’s Rino Shinden and Thailand’s Phitchayaphak Srimuk. The Chinese pair prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 15-13 in a thrilling contest.
In the second semifinal, Varvara Rubtsova (Russia) and Safiia Urazalina (Kazakhstan) dominated their opponents Yijiia Wang (China) and Yeanna Chowdhury (Bangladesh), winning comfortably 6-2, 6-2.
With Pakistani representation in both boys’ finals, local hopes will be high as Baig aims to cap off his remarkable run with a potential double title triumph.
