Salar claimed the first set 6-4 in a contest plagued by various officiating problems, marked by the absence of line umpires in the first set, several dubious calls by the chair umpire, and multiple score-keeping errors. Both the players expressed their frustration and explicitly criticised the standard of umpiring.
\n\u201cThe umpire wasn\u2019t certified, and he wasn\u2019t suitable for this level,\u201d Salar said. \u201cHe made 10 to 12 wrong calls, and that\u2019s all it takes to lose a match.\u201d Asad echoed the concerns but remained diplomatic.
\n\u201cThis happens in matches like these, but not to this extent,\u201d he said. \u201cThree or four wrong calls can change the outcome of a game. However, the umpire was trying his best\u201d
\nAsad roared back in the second set, dictating play with aggressive returns and smart court positioning. Breaking Salar\u2019s serves and cruising to a commanding 6-2 win. His precision and confidence visibly rattled Salar, whose earlier composure began to waver as unforced errors crept into his game. Salar opened the third set with dominance, surging to a 4-0 lead with powerful serves and aggressive shots. Just when it seemed like Salar had control, Asad mounted a stunning comeback, finding his rhythm and exploiting Salar\u2019s forehand. With six consecutive games win, Asad turned the tide in his favour to seal the match 6-4.
\n\u201cI had cramps in my hands during the third set,\u201d Zaman said. \u201cI came into this tournament to enjoy as I knew my fitness isn\u2019t where it should be, but I managed to win. I need to work on my stamina and spend more time in the gym.\u201d
\nSalar admitted there were gaps in his game but maintained a positive outlook. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the game, and it happens,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are many weaknesses in my game, and I need to work on them.\u201d
\nIn the girls U-18 singles, Romesa Malik capped off a remarkable week by winning the title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Eschelle Asif. Romesa\u2019s triumph in the U-18 final came just a day after she claimed the U-14 singles title.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Salar claimed the first set 6-4 in a contest plagued by various officiating problems, marked by the absence of line umpires in the first set, several dubious calls by the chair umpire, and multiple score-keeping errors. Both the players expressed their frustration and explicitly criticised the standard of umpiring. \u201cThe umpire wasn\u2019t certified, and he …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":76141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76143,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76129\/revisions\/76143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}