Meanwhile, seventh-seed Thangarjah Dineshkant defeated Muhammad Waqas 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Khurram Nazir sent Nadaraja Nishangan 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 packing. Second-seed Yasir Khan beat Ahmed Chaudhary 6-3, 6-1 while Heera Ashiq, Imran Shaikat and Hamidul Haq also progressed to the quarter-finals.
Aqeel, meanwhile, said the three Sri Lankan players were favoured and did not deserve to be seeded as highly as they were by the organisers. He also criticised calling the event ‘international’ since there was just one foreign country taking part in the tournament.
“I have my concerns about the way the organisers have seeded the players,” Aqeel told The Express Tribune. “It’s a great opportunity for the locals to play with Sri Lanka players. But we should keep in mind that these players are not rated highly even in their own country. I don’t understand why these players are seeded in the top 10.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2011.
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