Aisam off to a winning start in Delhi

Aisamul Haq starts with a straight-sets win over Uganda’s Mugabe Duncan Kasumba in the men’s singles event.

NEW DEHLI: Pakistan’s number one tennis player Aisamul Haq’s Commonwealth Games campaign was off to a winning start with a straight-sets win over Uganda’s Mugabe Duncan Kasumba in the first round of the men’s singles event.

Qureshi claimed the first set 6-2 after which Kasumba improved his game in the second set that eventually went to a tie-break. But Aisam was too good for the Ugandan as he sealed the win 7-6.

Pakistan’s tennis ace moved up to sixth in the ATP doubles rankings with his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna who also managed a straight-sets victory over Robert Buyinza of Uganda. Bopanna completed a 6-1, 6-4 win in just one hour and two minutes in the first round.

Squash team triumphs

Pakistan squash players cashed in with wins as well, scoring four wins in the event.

The country’s top squash player Aamir Atlas Khan defeated Colin Ramasra of Trinidad & Tobago, while Farhan Mehboob beat teammate Yasir Butt 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 in the second round. Earlier, Yasir had secured a walkover in the first round against Jamaican Christopher Binnie.

Danish Atlas Khan beat Bruce Burrowes of Jamaica 11-1, 11-5, 11-2 while Aamir overcame Bangladesh’s Masud Rana 11-2, 11-2, 11-6 and Farhan Mehboob secured a victory against Samuel Kyagulanyi of Uganda 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 in first round of the event. Meanwhile, weightlifter Abdullah Ghafoor came fourth in the 55-kg men’s finals for Group A.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.