Bangladeshi young tennis star Zarif Abrar has kept his dream run alive at the 35th Bangladesh World Tennis Tour Juniors J-30 in Dhaka. Zarif booked his place in the semi-finals after a thrilling quarter-final victory over India’s second-seeded player, Shounak Chatterjee, in a tight three-set encounter (2-1).
The intense battle at the National Tennis Complex in Ramna lasted nearly three hours, with Zarif eventually emerging victorious. The promising player, who began the tournament with the goal of lifting the title, now stands just two wins away from achieving his dream.
The match was fiercely contested from the very first set. Chatterjee edged out Zarif 7-5 in the opening set to take the lead. However, Zarif produced a strong comeback in the second, leveling the match with a commanding 6-2 win.
The decisive third set brought all the drama. Zarif initially took a commanding 3-0 lead and appeared on course for a straightforward win. But Chatterjee mounted a remarkable comeback to lead 5-3. From that critical point, Zarif showed tremendous grit, drawing level at 5-5 before winning two consecutive games to seal the set 7-5 and secure his place in the semi-finals.
Zarif credited his win to a touch of luck. Speaking after the match, he said, “Today, luck was on my side. I was not supposed to win this match. At one point, I was trailing 3-5. The match turned because of just one gap — the moment just shifted.”
Despite admitting he was not fully at his best, Zarif expressed relief at the result. “I was a bit off today. Alhamdulillah, I managed to recover. My Indian opponent had a lot of power — it was difficult for me to handle that,” he said.
Looking ahead, Zarif sounded confident about his chances. “Inshallah, I will play a good match in the semi-finals. I’m very confident that I can be the champion of the tournament,” he added. The Bangladeshi star also revealed that he drew strength during tense moments on court by recalling his father’s advice and prayers.
