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LAHORE - Muhammad Muaz and Muhammad Ayan (of Fatima Group), Bismel Zia (of Ali Embroidery Mills) and Hajra Sohail (SICAS) emerged among the standout performers as the Ali Embroidery Mills Independence Day Punjab Junior Tennis Championship 2026 entered its decisive stage at the Sports Board Punjab Tennis Academy, Nishtar Park Sports Complex, Lahore, on Wednesday. In the boys’ U-18 quarterfinals, M Umar Ali defeated Faizan Haider 6-0, M Ayan beat Ahmad Fareed Yawar 6-1, Ahmad Khuda Bakhsh overcame Aalay Hussain 6-4, while M Muaz blanked Shahzain Faisal 6-0. The boys’ U-14 competition also produced impressive performances. M Muaz defeated Shahzain Faisal 6-1 before overcoming Ahmad Fareed Yawar 6-2 in the semifinal. M Ayan advanced with a 6-1 quarterfinal win over Wali M Hassaan before defeating Aliyan Ali 6-3 in the semifinal. In the boys’ U-12 event, M Ayan defeated Aran Bashir 6-0 in the quarterfinal and Wali M Hassaan 6-1 in the semifinal. Daniyal Abdullah also progressed to the final after beating Daniyal Afzal Malik 6-0 and Ibrahim Leghari 6-2. The girls’ events witnessed competitive action as well. Eman Shahbaz defeated Shahreen Umer 6-0 in the U-12 semifinal, while Wajeeha Fatima upset Shahnoor Umer 6-4. In the U-14 category, Hajra Sohail beat Eman Shahbaz 6-0 in the semifinal after defeating Shahreen Umer 6-0 in the quarterfinal. Eman had earlier beaten Wajeeha Fatima 6-2. The girls’ U-18 semifinals saw Hajra Sohail defeat Khadija Khalil 6-2, while Bismel Zia overcame Zainah Abdullah 6-2 to secure their places in the final. All finals will be played today (Thursday), followed by the prize distribution ceremony, where Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Fazl-ur-Rehman will be the chief guest.