Players urged to focus on Asian Tennis Tour

Event to be played in October in Pakistan for the first time

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has advised players to focus on the Asian Tennis Tour (ATT) in October this year instead of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures.

Pakistan’s Maheen Qureshi and Alina Qureshi are currently on their ITF Juniors tour in Lebanon and Jordan. Maheen reached the second round of the singles and, along with Alina, the quarter-finals of the doubles event in the Yonex/Golf Club of Lebanon ITF Junior Tennis Tournament.

Meanwhile, Syed Nofil Kaleem, Sahibzada Mohammad Ali, Haris Irfanul Haq and Mujahid Khan lost their matches in the first qualifying round of the same event.

The team will continue to play the ITF Juniors event taking place in Jordan. But PTF secretary Khalid Rehmani believes that local players should concentrate on the ATT, which will be held in October in Pakistan for the first time. The event was introduced by the Asian Tennis Federation this year, with the first one taking place in April in India.

He believes that the competition will be easier at the continental level, and wins at the Asian events will not only help players gain ranking points but also boost their morale.

“The ITF is a tough circuit and our players really struggle there,” Rehmani told The Express Tribune. “We are also holding the ATT now and it is a great opportunity for Pakistan’s players. The ATT is designed to take place in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka; therefore, they should start from here, achieve good results and then move forward.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2016.

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