Muzammil Murtaza and Maheen Aftab Qureshi won the men’s and women’s singles title
Islamabad:
Muzammil Murtaza clinched the men’s singles title while Maheen Aftab Qureshi secured the women’s crown at the 11th Begum Kulsoom Saifullah Khan National Tennis Championship as the tournament concluded at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad.
Murtaza defeated veteran Aqeel Khan in the men’s singles final, while Qureshi beat Soha Ali to claim the women’s title. Around 250 players from all over Pakistan participated in the national ranking event.
In the men’s doubles final, Ahmed Nail Qureshi and Abubakar Talha claimed the title after defeating Barkatullah and Yousuf Khalil. Hamza Roman won the boys under-18 title with a win over Abubakar Talha, while Muhammad Junaid secured the boys under-14 crown by beating Muhammad Muaz.
The under-14 girls title was claimed by Aiman Rehan who defeated Khadija Khalil in the final, while Muhammad Farhan lifted the under-12 boys trophy after defeating Muhammad Daniyal.
Federal Housing Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest and distributed awards along with Pakistan Tennis Federation Chief Saleem Saifullah Khan and Ambassador of Czech Republic.
“The promotion of tennis in Pakistan has benefited a lot from the Saifullah Khan family,” Pirzada said. “Players like Aqeel Khan, who served the country for decades, deserve more recognition.”
Saleem Saifullah Khan highlighted Aqeel Khan’s contribution to the sport, saying, “Aqeel has represented Pakistan in 60 Davis Cup matches and remains one of the country’s best players. The government and ITF should honor him for his services.”
He added that the tournament, named after his mother, continues to grow. “About 250 players participated this year, which reflects the growing interest in tennis,” he said.
Saleem Saifullah Khan also confirmed that Pakistan is set to host Senegal in a Davis Cup match in February after the construction of a grass pitch in Islamabad. “The grass pitch was built with the support of Riaz Hussain Pirzada to meet international standards,” he said.
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