Pakistan lose tennis final to Turkey

Hopes of gold for national athletes at Islamic Games are fading fast

KARACHI: Pakistan men's tennis team settled for a silver medal at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games as they lost 2-0 to Turkey in the final played in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday.

Having won all three of their Group B ties, the Aqeel Khan-led unit were expected to add to their 2005 gold medals but found Group A-toppers Turkey too tough to topple.

In the best-of-three series, Muhammad Abid Mushtaq lost out 6-0, 7-6 to Anil Yuksel before Aqeel was sent packing 6-3, 6-2 by Altug Celikbelik, which handed the Turks an unassailable lead and led to the cancellation of the third match — effectively a dead rubber.

In the absence of their talisman Aisamul Haq and also deprived of Abid Ali Akbar, Pakistan men's team performed admirably but like so many of their countrymen at the ongoing Games, couldn't capture the coveted gold.

With that result, Pakistan now has four medals: two silver and two bronze.

Elsewhere, women’s swimming team grabbed a bronze medal in 200x4 competition, with Turkey and Indonesia finishing as top two in that order.

Karateka Saadi Abbas had earlier won a silver medal in the -75kg event, whereas Muhammad Khalil Akhtar had claimed bronze in the 25m centre-fire shooting competition.

In boxing, Mohibullah crashed out of the competition after losing his 49kg quarter-final bout. A day earlier at the same stage, Naimatullah had also tasted a chastening 5-0 defeat in his 60kg bantamweight clash with Iraq’s Amar Karbalai.