Aqeel routs Faizan in BB Shaheed Ranking Tennis.

Byline: Mohsin Ali

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's longest serving No 1 tennis player Aqeel Khan started the 5th Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Ranking Tennis Championship 2019 in great style as he hammered Faizan Fayyaz in straight sets in the first round played here at Islamabad Tennis Complex on Monday.

Faizan was no match to the experience of Aqeel, who simply toyed with the youngster and taught him a tennis lesson. Aqeel took the first set 6-1, as he broke the second, fourth and sixth games of his opponent, while the national tennis star won the second set with same margin of 6-1 to advance to the second round.

In other matches of the day, Sami Zeb beat Shakir Ullah 6-3 and 6-0, Israr Gul beat Danish Ramzan 6-2 and 6-3, Asan Ullah beat Ejaz Khan 6-1 and 6-3, Heera Ashiq beat Ayaz Khan 6-0 and 6-2, M Shoiab beat Farhad Ali Raza 6-1 and 6-0, Muzzamil Murtaza beat Saqib Hayat 6-3 and 6-4, Aman Atiq beat Shaheen Mehmood 6-1 and 6-1, Muddassar Murtaza beat Jibran ul Haq 6-2 and 6-3 and Huzaifa Abdur Rehman beat Ahmed Baber 6-0 and 6-0.

In the men's doubles first round matches, Amed Baber/Saqib Hayat beat Ahmed Kamil/Nauman Aftab 3-6, 6-3 and 11-9, Rashid Malik (ZTBL)/Sikandar Hayat beat Danish Ramzan/Asad Bachani 6-0 and 6-2, Shahzad Khan/Ahmed Chaudhry beat Shakir Ullah/Asad Ullah 6-0 and 6-0, Heera Ashiq/Yousaf Kqahalil beat Shahid Afridi/Shaheen Mehmood 7-5 and 6-4, M Shoiab/Huzaifa Abdul Rehman beat Khursheed Abbasi/Aman Atiq 6-1 and 6-2, Muzzamil Murtaza/Muddassir Murtaza beat Ejaz Khan/Barkat ullah 6-3, 1-6 and 10-4, Col Shahid/Usman Ejaz beat Muhammad Minhas/Ibrahim Omer 4-6, 6-4 and 10-8.

In boys/girls U-10, Haider Ali Rizwan got walk over against Hammad Shah, M Haziq Asim beat Sameer Maqsood 4-2 and 4-0, Asad Zaman got w/o against Jamal Shah, young and talented Haniya Minhas beat Mahnoor Farooqi 4-0 and 4-0 and Lala Rukh Sajid beat Awais Ali 4-1 and 4-1.

Earlier addressing the press conference, chief organiser of the tournament Senator Taj Haider, along with Senator Farhatullah Babar, MD ITC Fazale Subhan and PPP Islamabad President Syed Sibt-ul-Haider Bukhari, said that the tournament carries the biggest ever prize of Rs 1 million cash awards. 'We have received a whopping 185 entries in the main categories while the tournament also has a draw of 32 ladies players. Pakistan's pride international ace player Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, partnering Aqeel Khan, will also be seen in action in the doubles category.

'We have included a special category...