Divij Sharan upstages Aqeel Khan to lift ITF title

New Delhi, Sep 1 (UNI) A gritty Divij Sharan shrugged off the inertia and raised his game when it mattered most to beat top seeded Pakistani Aqeel Khan 7-5, 6-4 to lift the ITF Satellite Masters title at the DLTA Comlpex here today.

Aqeel, however, had some consolation in the doubles where the Pakistani partnered with Vishal Punna to beat Divij and Navdeep Singh 6-3, 6-4 to win the title.

In the singles, Aqeel was going great gun with a 5-0 lead and Divij apparently stood no chance. But the 20-year-old Indian showed great resilience and won the next seven games in a row to walk away with the set.

Things were easier in the second set and Divij kept his cool to upstage his rival and win the match for his first major tournament victory.

Final results: Singles: Divij Sharan bt Aqeel Khan (Pak) 7-5, 6-4; Doubles: Aqeel Khan (Pak) and Punna Vishal bt Divij Sharan and Navdeep Singh 6-3, 6-4.

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