Top seeds shine at national ranking tennis tournament

Muzammil Murtaza and Maheen Aftab Qureshi won the men’s and women’s singles title

ISLAMABAD:

Muzammil Murtaza captured the men’s singles title while Maheen Aftab Qureshi secured the women’s crown at the 11th Begum Kulsoom Saifullah Khan National Ranking 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. The national-ranking event featured around 250 players from across Pakistan.

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 victory over Abubakar Talha, while Muhammad Junaid secured the boys’ under-14 crown by beating Muhammad Muaz.

The girls’ under-14 title was claimed by Aiman Rehan, who defeated Khadija Khalil in the final, while Muhammad Farhan lifted the boys’ under-12 trophy after beating Muhammad Daniyal.

Federal Minister for Housing Riaz Hussain Pirzada attended the closing ceremony as chief guest and distributed prizes alongside Pakistan Tennis Federation patron-in-chief Saleem Saifullah Khan and the Ambassador of the Czech Republic.

“The promotion of tennis in Pakistan has benefited greatly from the Saifullah Khan family,” Pirzada said. “Players like Aqeel Khan, who have served the country for decades, deserve greater recognition.”

Saleem Saifullah Khan highlighted Aqeel Khan’s contribution to the sport, saying, “Aqeel has represented Pakistan in 60 Davis Cup ties and remains one of the country’s finest players. The government and the ITF should honour him for his services.”

He added that the tournament, named after his mother, continues to grow in stature. “Around 250 players took part this year, which reflects the rising interest in tennis,” he said.

Saleem Saifullah Khan also confirmed that Pakistan is set to host Senegal in a Davis Cup tie in February following the construction of a grass court in Islamabad. “The grass court was built with the support of Riaz Hussain Pirzada to meet international standards,” he said.