Tennis
Aqeel takes on Mohammad Shoaib in National Invitational Tennis final
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Pakistan No 1 tennis players Aqeel Khan will take on Mohammad Shoaib in the men’s singles final of the All Pakistan National Invitational Tennis Tournament 2023 here at DeSOM Club on Friday.
In the men's singles semifinals, No 1 Aqeel Khan beat Mudassar Murtaza 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Aqeel started the match well and put Mudassar under pressure to win the first set 6-2. Mudassar bounced back in the second set and took it by 7-5. Aqeel once again showed his class and comfortably won the third set 6-1 and also earned a place in the final.
The second semifinal of the men’s singles saw Mohammad Shoaib playing well against Heera Ashiq and winning the encounter by 6-4, 6-3. Shoaib though faced tough resistance in the first set, yet he won it by 6-4 while he played comparatively better tennis in the second set, taking it 6-3 to set a title clash with Aqeel Khan.
In the boys U-16 semifinals, rising tennis star Wapda’s Abubakar Talha (F.G School Lahore Cantt) defeated spirited Hamza Roman by 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. The second semifinal of the U-16 category was won by another talented player Ahtesham Humayun (SICAS), who edged past Haider Ali Rizwan 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. All the finals will be played on Friday here at DeSOM Club.
National Tennis: Rizwan brothers, Abubakar jump into semifinals
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Rizwan brothers, Hussnain Ali Rizwan and Haider Ali Rizwan, Abubakar Talha, and Ahtesham Humayun qualified for the semifinals of the All Pakistan National Invitational Tennis Tournament here at DeSOM Club on Wednesday.
In the boys U-16 quarterfinals, Hussnain Ali Rizwan beat Hamza Roman 6-0, 6-4 while Haider Ali Rizwan beat Hamza Ali Rizwan 6-2, 6-3. In other quarterfinals, Abubakar Talha (F.G School Lahore Cantt) beat M Salaar 6-4, 6-4 while Ahtesham Humayun (Cresent) beat M Talha Khan 6-1, 6-1.
It is worth mentioning here that Hussnain Ali Rizwan, who is a former Asian U-14 No 2 ranked player and only Pakistani, selected in the ITF/ATF Grand Slam Player Development Program to Europe, where he had learned the modern techniques from the top ITF coaches alongside the world’s high ranked players. Now his fellows have progressing well in the ITF and ATF rankings due to their regular participation in the international circuit but due to lack of high-level sponsorship (especially from Bard Foundation), such talented players couldn’t win international laurels for Pakistan.
Same is the case with his elder brother, Haider Ali Rizwan, who was Asian U-16 ranked 1, and was doing well at ATF level, but he too couldn’t maintain his rankings due to less participation in the international events and here too, financial constraints were the major hurdles.
Meanwhile in the men’s singles quarterfinals, Pakistan No 1 player Aqeel Khan beat talented Abdullah Adnan 6-3, 6-0 while Mohammad Shoaib Khan beat Ahmad Nael Qureshi 5-7, 6-0, 6-2, Mudassar Murtaza beat Sami Zeb Khan 6-1, 7-6 and Yousaf Khalil beat Heera Ashiq 7-5, 7-5.
All Pakistan National Tennis: Aqeel, Shoaib reach quarterfinals
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Pakistan No 1 Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib were among the other top players, who advanced to the men’s singles quarterfinals of the All Pakistan National Invitational Tennis Tournament here at the DeSOM Club on Tuesday.
In the men’s single pre-quarterfinals, Aqeel Khan beat Shehzad Khan 6-4, 6-4, Mohammad Shoaib Khan beat Mohammad Huzaifa Khan 6-2, 6-0, Mudassar Murtaza beat Ahmad Babar 6-3, 6-3, Yousaf Khalil beat Ahtesham Humayun 6-1, 6-2, Heera Ashiq beat Mohammad Salaar 6-3, 6-2, Ahmad Nael Qureshi beat Imran Bhatti 6-3, 6-3, Semi Zeb Khan beat Hamid Israr 3-3(Retd), Abdullah Adnan beat Nalain Abbas 6-2, 6-2.
In the boys U-16 pre-quarterfinals, Mohammad Salaar beat Hafiz 6-0, 6-0, Husnain Ali Rizwan beat Abdullah Sajjad 6-1, 6-0, Hamza Roman beat Hanzla Anwar 6-0, 6-0, Mohammad Talha Khan beat Yousaf Manoo 6-1, 6-0, Hamza Ali Rizwan beat Arman Kamran 6-2, 6-1, Haider Ali Rizwan beat Aalay Husnain 6-2, 6-0, Ahtesham Humayun beat Abubakar Khalil 6-2, 6-0, Abubakar Talha beat Asad Zaman 6-1, 6-4.
TENNIS - Wheelchair 13 Mar, 2023
Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan number one wheelchair tennis player, Asif Gul Abbasi created another history by winning the "Lee Valley Wheelchair Tennis Tournament" in London, as Abbasi displayed great skill and determination throughout the tournament, beating their hard-hitting opponents to earn himself a place in the "Play Your Way to Wimbledon" National finals in August, which will be held on the iconic grass courts of Wimbledon.
Despite carrying a shoulder injury from previous tournaments, Abbasi showed no signs of slowing down and played some outstanding tennis to secure his victory in the tournament. He was the top seed in the tournament and won the final with the score-line by 7-6 (6) and 6-1.
The "Play Your Way to Wimbledon" initiative, which is a joint venture between the LTA and Vodafone, is aimed at giving national wheelchair tennis players the opportunity to compete in the National finals at Wimbledon. There are three qualifying tournaments, namely Lee Valley, Grantham, and Loughborough University wheelchair tennis tournaments, and the finalists from these tournaments will be competing in the finals at Wimbledon.
Abbasi and the other finalists have now qualified for the national finals at Wimbledon, which is a significant achievement and a proud moment for the Pakistani tennis community. The fact that Abbasi was able to overcome his injury and still play at such a high level is a testament to his skill and dedication.
In a statement, Abbasi expressed his joy and excitement at the prospect of playing at Wimbledon. He said, "This is a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to play on the grass courts of Wimbledon, and now that I have the opportunity to do so, I will give it my all and make Pakistan proud."
The Pakistani tennis community has rallied behind Abbasi, congratulating him on his victory and wishing him the best of luck for the national finals at Wimbledon. This achievement by Abbasi is not only a personal triumph but also a symbol of hope and inspiration for disabled athletes.
Aqeel Khan crushes out Ahtesham Arif 2-0 in Invitational Tennis Tournament
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Top seed Aqeel Khan crushed out Ahtesham Arif 2-0 in the first round of Men’s Singles of the All Pakistan National Invitational Tennis Tournament, which started in Lahore on Monday. The secretary Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) Rashid Malik formally inaugurated the tournament.
A total of 30 matches were played on the first day of the championship. All the top players advanced to the second round with comfortable victories and a high-standard of tennis was witnessed during some of the matches.
Results:
Men’s Singles (Round-I):
Aqeel Khan beat Ahtesham Arif 6-1, 6-1, Davis Cupper Shehzad Khan beat Rai Asim Zafar 6-1, 6-2, Nalain Abbas beat Col Atif 6-2, 6-3, Mudassar Murtaza beat Mahatir Muhammad 6-2, 6-0, Ahmad Babar beat Mohammad Talha Khan 6-0, 6-0, Hamid Israr beat Sikandar Hayat 6-3, 6-3, Semi Zeb Khan beat Fayyaz Khan 6-2, 6-3, Heera Ashiq beat Saqib Hayat 6-0, 6-3, Mohammad Salaar beat Faizan Fayyaz 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, Yousaf Khalil beat Kamran Khan 6-1, 6-1, Ahmad Nael Qureshi beat Asadullah 6-2, 6-2, Imran Bhatti (Gymkhana) beat Abdul Hanan Khan 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, Mohammad Shoaib beat Bilal Asim 6-4, 6-1.
Boys’ Under-16 (Round-I):
Hafiz Hussain beat Hafiz Hassan 6-4, 4-6, 12-10, Yousaf Manoo beat Mohammad Hameed 6-1, 6-3, Abubakar Khalil beat Mustafa Zaidi 6-2, 6-2, Hamza Ali Rizwan beat Ismail Ahmad 6-2, 6-3, Aalay Husnain beat Moavia Butt 0-6, 7-5, 12-10.
TENNIS - ITF Juniors 07 Mar, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has named a 2-member team namely Hamza Roman and Abubakar Talha to participate in finals of ITF Asia Under-14 Development Championships 2023, which will be held in Bhubaneshwar India from April 4-14, 2023.
According to an official of PTF, the players were selected based on their exceptional performance in the ITF/ATF Under-14 Development Championships Regional Qualifying event for South Asia/South East Asia & East Asia Regional Qualifying event, which was recently held in Bangladesh. The boys won one single title out of two each and were finalists in the other, and they won both the doubles titles.
TENNIS - Wheelchair 02 Mar, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
Pattaya (Thailand): Sri Lanka wheelchair tennis team beat Pakistan 3-0 in the BNP Paribas ITF wheelchair tennis world cup qualifier at Pattaya Thailand on the 2nd day of competition.
Results (Sri Lanka beat Pakistan) 3-0
Kumara KGM Parderp beat Fida Hussain 6-0, 6-0
Dissanayake Gamini beat Asif Abbasi 6-2, 6-3
Dharmasena Suresh & Dissanayake Gamini beat Mohammad Ayub and Asif Abbasi 6-0, 6-0
TENNIS - Local News 02 Mar, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
LAHORE: Asad Zaman, Ahtesham Humayun, Hamid Israr, and Mohammad Salaar have reached in the semifinals of the 4th Tennis Lovers Junior National Tennis Championship after winning their respective boys Under-18 singles quarterfinals played here at Punjab Tennis Academy, Bagh-e-Jinnah on Thursday.
Results:
Boys’ Under-18 (Quarterfinals):
Asad Zaman (Ali Embroidery Mills) beat Shahzaib Zahid 6-2, 6-2, Ahtesham Humayun beat Arman Kamran 6-4, 6-4, Hamid Israr beat Yafat Nadeem 6-2, 6-0 and M Salaar beat Hamza Ali Rizwan 6-3, 6-0.
Boys’ Under-14 (Quarterfinals):
Amir Mazari (Aitchison) beat Aryan Hassan 4-0, 4-0, Hamza Ali Rizwan beat Haziq Areejo 4-0, 4-0, Nabeel Ali Qayum beat Ismail Aftab 2-4, 4-0, 4-0 and Abubakar Talha beat M Umer Ali 3-0 (rtd).
Boys/Girls Undr-12 (Quarterfinals):
Abdur Rehman (SICAS) beat Mohammad Umer Ali 4-0, 4-1, Hajra Suhail (SICAS) beat Bismel Zia 2-4, 4-2, 4-2 and Rashid Ali Bachani beat Junaid Khan 4-1, 5-3.
Boys/Girls Under-10 (Quarterfinals):
Rashid Ali Bachani beat Hassan Alam 4-2, 4-0, Mohammad Ibraheem Hussain Gill beat Shahzaib Faisal 4-1, 5-3 and Mohammad Ehsan Bari beat Ali Saqib 5-3, 4-1.
TENNIS - Wheelchair 01 Mar, 2023
Sports Bulletin Report
Pattaya (Thailand): Heavyweight Australia wheelchair tennis team outclassed low-ranked Pakistan 3-0 in the first Pool match of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Asia Oceania Qualification competitions that started at Pattaya Thailand.
In the first single, Pakistani lad Fida Hussain lost to Parker Anderson, who is currently world number 24 in ITF wheelchair tennis rankings. In straight sets 2-0, as the final score-line was just 6-0 and 6-1.
Later, in the second single, world number 29 Week Benn defeated Pakistan No.1 Asif Abbasi in a similar style 2-0. Asif, who beat Indian players last year in Turkiye, failed to win even a single game. He could not join the practice session before the crucial contest against Australia owing to missing his equipment.
In the Double, a duo of Australian wheelchair tennis players, Parker Anderson and Dunn Martyn beat Asif Gul Abbasi / Fida Hussain with the score-line of 6-0 and 6-0.
Results (Australia beat Pakistan 3-0):
Parker Anderson beat Fida Hissain 6-0, 6-1
Weeks Benn beat Asif Gul Abbasi 6-0, 6-0
Parker Anderson / Dunn Martyn beat Asif Gul Abbasi / Fida Hussain 6-0, 6-0
Asif Abbasi misses the practice session before big games
Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s number one wheelchair tennis player, Asif Gull Abbasi missed the practice session, as Thai Airlines left his equipment at Heathrow Airport London due to mismanagement of the airline crew.
Asif Abbasi told this reporter from Thailand:
“At Heathrow the airport a flight supervisor asked me to wrap it and follow her instructions and did that carefully. Then she assured me that they would take responsibility for any damage, and you have to sign that this is my responsibility if damage occurs to my wheelchair. I had a little argument with her that if you don't take responsibility then who is going to be responsible? She was very rude and said: You will miss your flight and you must write under limited responsibility and I reluctantly signed”.
“I have nothing with me. I missed my training today and tomorrow morning I have to play my world team Cup qualifying matches against Australia, and Sri Lanka best teams in the world. I am not sure, I will receive my stuff before my match, and it will be safely returned to me. Still waiting for that, as they said the luggage will arrive in the next flight and they will contact me and deliver to the hotel.
Most Popular
