Tennis
Tennis News: Navy and Punjab post victories in National Games 2023
Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Navy and Punjab have started their campaign with impressive victories in the 34th National Games 2023 by beating Baluchistan and Sindh respectively 2-1 and 2-0 at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue here on Monday.Earlier in the morning, the captain’s meeting of all the participating teams was held at the Referee’s Office. Arif Qureshi chaired the meeting whereas Col. Gul Rehman Secretary General of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), and Chairman Organizing Committee, and Mumtaz Yousaf, Senior Vice President Baluchistan Tennis Association (BTA), and Member of the Organizing Committee of the 34th National Games’ Tennis Event also attended the meeting.On the opening day, two ties of the Men’s Team event were played between Baluchistan and Navy, and Punjab and Sindh. Punjab comfortably beat Sindh by winning both the singles to advance into the 2nd round. In the second tie, Navy beat Baluchistan 2-1 after a thrilling contest. Results (Day-I):Pakistan Navy beat Baluchistan (2-1)1st Singles: Rizwan Shah (Baluchistan) beat Taimor Malik (Navy) 7-5, 6-42nd Singles: Aqeel Shabbir (Navy) beat Zafar Ahmed (Balochistan) 6-2, 6-0Doubles: Aqeel Shabbir / Taimur Malik beat Zafar Ahmad / Rizwan Shah 6-2, 6-2Punjab beat Sindh (2-0)1st Singles: Faizan Fayyaz (Punjab) beat Zubair Raja (Sindh) 6-1, 6-32nd Singles: Asad Zaman (Punjab) beat Sheeraz Bhand (Sindh) 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Tennis News: National Games 2023 event to start on May 22, 2023
Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD:-The tennis fixture of the ongoing 34th National Games 2023 will start on May 22 at Syed Dilawar Abbass (SDA)-Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex Garden Avenue Islamabad, as 10 departments will take part in the 6 different disciplines.According to an official of PTF, the Pakistan Tennis Federation in collaboration with Baluchistan Sports Board, and Baluchistan Tennis Association will organize the 34th National Games’ Tennis Event of Men’s and Women’s from May 22-29, 2023.Top national players of the 10 leading provincial and departments team of the country including Pakistan WAPDA, Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan Navy, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Khayber Pakhtunkawa (KPK), Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Islamabad will fight for titles.The strength of Men’s athletes is 39 along with 10 officials while 30 women’s athletes with 7 officials. The total strength of the participating players is 69 with 17 Officials confirming their participation and showing their expertise at this tennis extravaganza.Six events will be played during the 6-day national fixture including Men’s Team Event, Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Team Event, Women’s Singles, and Women’s Doubles. The captains meeting will be held on 22nd May 2023 (Monday) at 10:00 AM at PTF Tennis Complex followed by a Draw of Team Events and two matches will be played in the first round of the Men’s Team Event.Mohammad Arif Qureshi ITF White Badge Referee will supervise the 34th National Games and 29 other technical officials from all over the country. A formal opening ceremony will be held on Tuesday 23rd May 2023 at 9:45 AM at PTF Tennis Complex, Islamabad.
Tennis News: Former Olympians visit training camp to inspire budding
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE:-The hockey legends, Ex-Olympians Manzoor-ul-Hassan and Lt Col (Retd) Saeed Khan visited the Ali Embroidery High Performance Tennis Training Camp to motivate and support budding tennis talented guys.Led by renowned tennis coaches under the supervision of camp commandant Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), the camp received a boost as the distinguished guests were introduced to the participants and coaches, including Aqeel Khan, Shahzad Khan, Ahmed Babar, Arif Feroz, and Azhar Hussain. Former PTF Secretary and Senior Vice President Col (r) Asif Dar, ex-international hockey player Naseem Ahmad and tennis player Imran Siddique also joined the visit.On the occasion, Manzoor-ul-Hassan said:"I am thrilled to see these talented future tennis stars, who have the potential to achieve great success internationally. They need unwavering passion and dedication towards the game, setting high goals to bring glory to Pakistan. This winning mentality is what we desire in hockey and other sports too."Manzoor ul Hassan shared exciting news about a nationwide talent hunt initiative for hockey, discovering promising players from remote areas. These players will receive training at the Manzoor-ul-Hassan Hockey Stadium to restore Pakistan's hockey glory. However, achieving this goal requires unity, merit, transparency, and grassroots development. Col (r) Saeed Khan urged the hockey federation to prioritize these principles to revitalize the national game.
Tennis News: Davis Cup Juniors Asia Oceania Final Qualifying from May 8
Captain Nouman, Nadir Mirza, Hamza Roman and Abubakar to represent PakistanSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan Under-16 junior tennis team will visit Shymkent, Kazakhstan to participate in the Davis Cup Juniors Asia Oceania Final Qualifying, which will be held from May 8 to 13, 2023According to an official of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Pakistani contingent will consist of 4 members including captain Nouman-ul-Haq and three other players Nadir Reza Mirza, Hamza Roman, and Abubakar Talha.President PTF, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan expressed his best wishes to the team. “Hard work, dedication and passion for tennis are always rewarded. The development of upcoming budding players and their participation in international events is one of the priorities of federation, “he added.
Tennis News: High Performance Tennis Training Camp 2023 inaugurated
Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) and Ali Embroidery Mills have joined hands to organise the High Performance Tennis Training Camp 2023 here at the Punjab Tennis Academy in Bagh-e-Jinnah.Omar Badi-uz-Zaman, Executive Director Ali Embroidery Mills, along with PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik inaugurated the camp during a colorful opening ceremony, which took place on Thursday and was attended by camp participants, coaches, and officials.Omar Zaman expressed his company's commitment to supporting talented tennis players in Pakistan. He said, "There is no dearth of talent in Pakistan, but the dire need of the hour is to provide that talent with all the basic and modern facilities so that they may earn glories for Pakistan at the international level."Omar Zaman also emphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility and encouraged others to support talented Pakistani players. "It is our corporate responsibility, and we are doing it in a befitting manner. Others too should come forward and support very talented Pakistani players so that in return, they may win international medals for Pakistan," he added.The camp will be supervised by former Pakistan No 1, Davis Cup Captain, and renowned coach Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz). The training will be conducted by Pakistan No 1 Aqeel Khan, former Pakistan No 2 Shahzad Khan, former Junior Davis Cupper Ahmad Babar, and Certified Fitness Trainer Syed Azhar Hussain (IFCA, UK).PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik expressed his gratitude to Ali Embroidery Mills for sponsoring this fruitful activity. He also thanked Federal Minister for IPC Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari for his all-out assistance for the promotion of junior tennis in Pakistan. "Such generous supports always help in the betterment and development of sports and especially tennis in Pakistan," Malik said.“The camp will benefit top-ranked national players and is being organized for the second time in Pakistan's tennis history. With the support of Ali Embroidery Mills and other sponsors, we are hopeful to provide talented Pakistani players with the necessary facilities and training to win the ATF, ITF titles at junior level and later, the same bunch of players, if provided consecutive support by government and corporate sector for international events, can represent the country in ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam events,” Rashid Malik concluded.
ATF U14 Tennis: Mikaeel wins 2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze in a row
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: Rising tennis lad Mikaeel Ali Baig produced a historical performance in the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) Under-14 Tennis Tournaments by winning 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal that were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
According to an official of Sindh Tennis Association (STA), Mikaeel Ali Baig, Pakistan’s talented young tennis star, had an exponential rise in the ATF ranking as he started 3 weeks ago being unranked and due to his successful performance will be in the top 40s in next week’s ATF tennis rankings.
Mikaeel, who visited Dushanbe three weeks back to play back-to-back three ATF under-14 tournaments was unseeded and unranked. In each tournament, Mikaeel defeated top-seed players on his way to finishing the tournament. His first ATF earned him a second place Silver medal. In the second ATF, he grabbed 2 gold medals winning first place in singles and doubles and in his final ATF tournament, Mikaeel gets a bronze for 3rd place.
Mikaeel Ali Baig said:
“I am of course sad that I lost in the semifinal but it was to the No. 1 seed. We had a great match, there were times when I was in the lead, and then he was. The match lasted 3 hours, and the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for. We learn from our losses, this is what my mother tells me. There was a lot that I did learn about myself from not only this loss but also from these last 3 weeks. I am still on a developmental journey. I have many people in my corner who support me and wish me well, I thank all for believing in me. Know that I am still on a journey, there will be ups and downs and I am still learning. I have yet a lot to achieve and a lot more to do in life. I am constantly working on improving myself and I hope that along this journey I continue to make my family proud and earn more laurels for my country. I have two goals: to help the people of my country as best as I can and to represent my country in the Davis Cup. I hope in years to come I can achieve both.”
Mikaeel Ali Baig claims two crowns in ATF Under-14 Tennis
Sports Bulletin Report
KARACHI: Mikaeel earned double crowns in Dushanbe by winning in both singles and doubles gold medals of the Somoni Open Under-14 Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) tennis tournament that concluded in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
According to an official of the Sindh Tennis Association (STA), Pakistan’s upcoming talented player Mikaeel Ali Baig gets two gold medals and becomes the singles and doubles champion.
In the singles match, Mikaeel had to face top South Korean player Siyun Kim, who he had lost just last week in a tight finals match. Once again, the two faced each other in a finals showdown. The thriller match started with Mikaeel very quickly gaining a strong lead and taking the first set at 6-3.
In the second set, however, Kim stepped up, changed his strategy and got the set from Mikaeel at 6-1. It all came down to the third set. Mikaeel was locked in and ready to take on the battle to the finish line. Kim was no match for Mikaeel’s aggressive game. The third set was over very fast as Mikaeel won at 6-0.
The duo partnership of Mikaeel (Pakistan) and Siyun Kim (South Korea), then had to face of opposing doubles team pair from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the final. The doubles match started off with both teams struggling to take the lead. The first set was tied at 6-6, but the opponents managed to grab the set from Mikaeel and Kim.
Meanwhile, in the second set, the dynamic pairing of Mikaeel and Kim fought back and won the set at 6-4, taking the match into a super tie-break. Mikaeel and Kim played the tie-break strong from the start and won at 10-4 to get their championship win.
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 01 Apr, 2023
Pakistan book berth in World Group, Japan beat Pakistan 2-1
Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Japan toiled hard on the court to overcome Pakistan 2-1 in the final of the ITF World Tennis Junior Team Competition Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying in Kuching Malaysia.
According to Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), in the first match, Abubakar Talha lost a closely fought match with the score-line of 3-6 and 5-7. In the second Singles, Hamza Roman exhibited top class game of tennis and ousted his challenger Motoharu Abe in straight sets in s single sided-affair at 6-2, 6-1 to square the match 1-1.
In the deciding doubles, which produced exciting tennis, Abubakar and Hamza won the first set 6-4 and were ahead in the second set at 4-3. Two see-saw games saw the Japanese produced a quality tennis to take the set. The Japanese pair stepped up a notch in the deciding match-tiebreak and won 10-5 to seal the victory and lift the trophy.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan had already qualified for the World Group by virtue of qualifying for the semi-finals. Under-14 team created history by reaching the World Group of the WJT team event, for the first time since 1996. It is a great achievement for the team, made up of Hamza Roman, Abubakar Talha, and Amir Mohammad Khan Mazari, ably led by Captain Heera Ashiq. Powerhouses like India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and others, failed to make it to the even the quarterfinals stage.
In 1996, Pakistan team visited Japan comprised Nomi Qamar, the late Ejaz Ahmed, Shahzeb Niazi, and Rashid Ahmed Malik as the captain. Sixteen countries participated, including Australia, Japan, S.Korea, India, Iran, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, Chinese Taipei, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Indonesia and Pakistan. Pakistan finished second in their group after beating Iran and Indonesia, while losing to Japan.
Complete Results of Pakistan Matches:
Final (Japan beat Pakistan) 2-1
Kanta Watanabe beat Abubakar Talha 6-3, 7-5
Hamza Roman beat Motoharu Abe 6-1, 6-2
Motoharu Abe/Kensuke Kobayashi bt Abubakar Talha/Hamza Roman 4-6, 6-4, 10-5
Semifinal (Pakistan beat Hong Kong) 2-1
Abubakar Talha beat Wong Selwyn Tsz Yuen 6-3, 6-2
Tam Sin Hang beat Hamza Roman 6-1, 6-1
Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Fu Wang Choi / Tam Sin Hang 7-6 (5), 6-4
Quarterfinal (Pakistan beat Australia) 2-1
Abubakar Talha beat Taiki Takizawa 6-4, 3-0 (retd)
Kose Cooper beat Hamza Roman 6-2, 6-1
Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Kose Cooper/ Anthony Baker Nikolas 6-1, 6-4
Round-II (Pakistan beat Iran) 2-1
Abubakar Talha beat Sadeghizeidi Kiyarash 6-1, 7-5
Attaran Sam beat Hamza Roman 7-6 (5), 6-3
Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Attaran Sam / Madanian Soroosh 6-3, 7-5
Round-I (Pakistan beat Indonesia) 2-1
Abubakar Talha beat Mika Gunawan Joachim 6-3, 6-2
Hamza Roman beat Ali Da Costa Rafalentino 6-1, 7-6 (5)
Mika Gunawan Joachim / Verdasco Jeconia Rafa beat Amir Mohammad Khan Mazari / Abubakar Talha 5-7, 4-6.
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 31 Mar, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan outplayed Hong Kong 2-1 in the semifinal of the ongoing ITF World Tennis Junior Team Competition Asia / Oceania Final Qualifying in Kuching Malaysia.
According to an official Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Pakistan's Under-14 Junior team ousted Hong Kong 2-1 in the semifinal. Pakistan already qualified for the World Group after beating Australia in the quarterfinals, which will be held later this year in the Czech Republic.
Senator Salim Saifullah Khan President-PTF praised the performance of the young boys and congratulated the team, Captain, Coaches and their parents.
Results (semifinal):
Pakistan beat Hong Kong (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Wong Selwyn Tsz Yuen 6-3, 6-2
Tam Sin Hang beat Hamza Roman 6-1, 6-1
Doubles: Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Fu Wang Choi / Tam Sin Hang 7-6 (5), 6-4
Results (Quarterfinals):
Pakistan beat Australia (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Taiki Takizawa 6-4, 3-0 (retd)
Kose Cooper beat Hamza Roman 6-2, 6-1
Boys’ Doubles: Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Kose Cooper/ Anthony Baker Nikolas 6-1, 6-4
Pakistan beat Iran (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Sadeghizeidi Kiyarash 6-1, 7-5
Attaran Sam beat Hamza Roman 7-6 (5), 6-3
Boys’ Doubles: Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Attaran Sam / Madanian Soroosh 6-3, 7-5
Pakistan beat Indonesia (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Mika Gunawan Joachim 6-3, 6-2
Hamza Roman beat Ali Da Costa Rafalentino 6-1, 7-6 (5)
Boys’ Doubles: Mika Gunawan Joachim / Verdasco Jeconia Rafa beat Amir Mohammad Khan Mazari / Abubakar Talha 5-7, 4-6.
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 30 Mar, 2023
Green Shirts toppled Australian lads 2-1 in the quarterfinals
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan claimed an upset victory in the ITF World Tennis Junior Team Competition Asia / Oceania Final Qualifying after beating high-ranked Australia 2-1 at Kuching Malaysia.
According to an official of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), Pakistan caused a major upset by beating a strong Australian team 2-1 in the quarter-finals and has qualified for the World Group Event, which will be held later this year in the Czech Republic.
Senator Salim Saifullah Khan President-PTF expressed his happiness and congratulated the team and captain for the historical victory against the strong Australian team. Earlier, in the other matches, Pakistan thrashed Iran and Indonesia in similar style 2-1.
Results (Quarterfinals):
Pakistan beat Australia (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Taiki Takizawa 6-4, 3-0 (retd)
Kose Cooper beat Hamza Roman 6-2, 6-1
Boys’ Doubles: Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Kose Cooper/ Anthony Baker Nikolas 6-1, 6-4
Pakistan beat Iran (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Sadeghizeidi Kiyarash 6-1, 7-5
Attaran Sam beat Hamza Roman 7-6 (5), 6-3
Boys’ Doubles: Abubakar Talha / Hamza Roman beat Attaran Sam / Madanian Soroosh 6-3, 7-5
Pakistan beat Indonesia (2-1)
Abubakar Talha beat Mika Gunawan Joachim 6-3, 6-2
Hamza Roman beat Ali Da Costa Rafalentino 6-1, 7-6 (5)
Boys’ Doubles: Mika Gunawan Joachim / Verdasco Jeconia Rafa beat Amir Mohammad Khan Mazari / Abubakar Talha 5-7, 4-6.
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