Yonex Sunrise Int'l Series: Murad Ali takes out top seed Sankeerth on home soil
Pakistan No. 1 Murad Ali of NBP dethroned top seed Bagalur Rajanna Sankeerth of Canada by 2-0 in round of 16 of Yonex Sunrise Pakistan International Series 2019 being held at Rodham Hall in Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.
Pakistan No. 1 Murad Ali of NBP dethroned top seed Bagalur Rajanna Sankeerth of Canada who is ranked 100 in the world, in a two game battle of men’s singles round-16 clash of Yonex Sunrise Pakistan International Series 2019 being held at Rodham Hall in Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.
22years old Sankeerath who has so far won $4,087.18 in his entire vocation, got a walkover in round of 32.
It was the first game of the day wherein both Murad Ali and Sankeerath went to full lengths against each other with some fine cross court shots and overhead smashes wowing the spectators.
Unseeded Murad Ali, hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who is world number 602, was leading the first set comfortbaly but Sankeerath never let up and evened the tally at 16-16 but 28-years old spirited Murad managed to win it by 21-16.
In an intense second game, both continued with their good scores. However, local shuttler was in his element and held his nerves to seal the game 23-21.
Murad Ali booked berth into the quarterfinals with the final score line of 21-16, 23-21. The other two Pakistani players Awais Zahid and Amir Saeed overpowered their respective opponents to advance into the quarterfinals.
Men's singles round of 16 Results:
| Player | vs | Player | Score line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murad Ali | def | B.R. Sankeerth | 21-16, 23-21 |
| Saran Jamsri [6] | def | Raja Muhammad Zulqarnain Haider [Q] | 21-10, 21-7 |
| Milan Ludik [3] | def | Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti | 21-10, 21-7 |
| Awais Zahid | def | Abdur Rehman[Q] | 21-9, 21-17 |
| Dipesh Dhami [8] | def | Muhammad Ali Larosh | 21-19, 21-11 |
| Awais Zahid Georges Julien Paul [4] | def | Muhammad Muqeet Tahir [Q] | 21-14, 21-17 |
| Howard Shu[5] | def | Azeem Sarwar | 21-12, 21-12 |
| Amir Saeed | def | Hussain Ali | 21-3, 21-5 |
