Islamabad (PR): Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan continued their outstanding run at the ITF Masters World Individual Championships, booking their place in the Men’s 45+ doubles final with a straight-sets victory over Ukraine’s Andriy Baidikov and Anatolii Stepakhno.
The Pakistani pair prevailed 6-4, 7-6 in a hard-fought semifinal that became increasingly tense as the match progressed.
After taking the opening set 6-4, Aisam and Aqeel appeared to be cruising toward the final when they surged to a 4-1, 40-15 lead in the second set. The Ukrainian pair, however, refused to go away and staged an impressive comeback, clawing their way back into the set and eventually forcing a tiebreak.
What followed was a very close and tense tiebreaker, with little separating the two teams. Aisam and Aqeel ultimately held their nerve at the crucial moments, closing out the match in straight sets and securing their place in the World Championship final.
The victory continues a remarkable week for the experienced Pakistani duo, whose combination of big-match experience, resilience and composure under pressure has carried them through a series of demanding encounters in Lisbon.
There will be little time for either player to rest, with both also scheduled to compete today in their respective Mixed Doubles semifinals.
Aisam is partnering Nina Hermann of Austria, while Aqeel is playing alongside Eileen Aranas-Roth of Germany, leaving both Pakistani stars in contention for medals across multiple events as the Individual World Championships enter their decisive stages.
Aisam and Aqeel will now turn their attention to the Men’s 45+ doubles final, where they will attempt to cap their exceptional run by claiming the World Championship title.
