The team managed to book a place in the next round of the qualifiers in April. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan concluded their campaign at the World Junior Tennis (WJT), finishing in second place after a defeat in the final of the pre-qualifying round against top-seeds Vietnam 2-1 in Kuching, Malaysia ended their unbeaten run in the event.
However, the team managed to book a place in the next round of the qualifiers in April as it aims to make it to the WJT under-14 finals that take place in Czech Republic in August.
Pakistan lost despite winning the opening rubber in the final tie. Muzammil Murtaza outplayed Tri Tu Minh 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the opening singles match to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead.
However, Nofil Kaleem fell against Dac Tien Nguyen 6-0, 6-0 as Vietnam levelled the score 1-1, forcing the tie to be decided on the doubles rubber. Nguyen and Minh defeated Muzammil and Abdaal Haider 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to win the final of the Asia-Oceania zone pre-qualifiers.
While Pakistan lost the final, their run was still impressive as they beat second-seeds Singapore 2-1 in the semi-final and earlier outplayed third-seeds Syria 2-1.
The team had also defeated Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka in the round robin matches in Group C.
The result was also impressive since the team qualified for the second round on their debut appearance in the event. Muzammil remained undefeated in his singles matches, while Nofil won three out of five.
Pakistan top men’s singles player Aqeel Khan also praised the team’s achievement.
“It’s very good news,” Aqeel told The Express Tribune. “Now the responsibility is with the Pakistan Tennis Federation to properly nurture the talent.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ