Zarif cites technical flaws in semifinal loss

Bangladesh youngster Zarif Abrar's dream of winning back-to-back titles on the World Tennis Tour ended in the semifinals of the Boy's Singles at the 35th Bangladesh World Tennis Tour Juniors J-30 today.

The 17-year-old was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by Thailand's Ariyaphol Leekul at the National Tennis Complex in Ramna, just six days after claiming the boy's singles crown at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior J30 in Rajshahi.

Despite a notable quarterfinal victory over the tournament's second seed, India's Shounak Chatterjee, Zarif could not contain seventh-seed Leekul, who proved too strong on the day.

"The opponent played really well while I was a bit off due to some technical problems with my backhand, forehand, and tactical decisions," Zarif told reporters after the match.

Asked about over-confidence after his win over Shounak, Zarif dismissed the suggestion. "Actually not. All players here are at the same level. It comes down to individual performance on the day. I was confident to win because I came here to claim the title," he said.

Zarif, an 11th-grade student, also said there was little difference between the Rajshahi and Dhaka tournaments but expressed satisfaction with his overall performance. "It was good enough and I am happy with my performance overall. I think I had the capability to win in Dhaka too, but I could not," he added.

Looking ahead, Zarif plans to focus on the upcoming Davis Cup in Bahrain and is considering returning to Florida, USA, in February to train under renowned coach Ashley Hobson at the Hobson Performance Tennis Academy, where he has trained before.