ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Muhammad Talha Khan and Nadir Mirza moved forward to the quarterfinals of the ITF Pakistan J30 Ali Embroidery Mills World Junior Tennis Championships 2024 being played at Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex in Islamabad.
In the boys’ singles pre-quarterfinals, Muhammad Talha Khan of Pakistan played tremendous tennis against Thailand’s Patham Laosakulporn and overpowered him with a score of 6-1, 6-4 while Pakistan’s Nadir Mirza advanced past compatriot Ahmad Nael Qureshi 6-2, 6-4. However, some of Pakistan’s top seeds faced tough competition from international contenders. Park Dohyun (KOR) overcame Bilal Asim (PAK) with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Seung Woo Han (KOR) bested Pakistan’s Ahtesham Humayun 6-3, 6-3 while Sign Ji (KOR) defeated Danathi Taking (THA) 6-3, 6-0.
In the boys’ doubles first round, Asim Bilal/Qureshi Ahmed Nael defeated Dohyun Park/Mazari Amir Muhammad Khan 7-5, 7-5, Ji Sion/Jung Yeonmu defeated Khan Muhammad Huzaifa/Khan Muhammad Talha 7-5, 6-4.
In the girls’ doubles first round, Katsube Haruhi (JPN)/Hinata Wada (JPN) defeated Fatima Ali Raja/Zainab Ali Raja 6-0, 6-0 and Jo A Hyun (KOR)/Lee Chaerin (KOR) defeated Hong Jin A/Yan Jingke (KOR) 6-1, 6-2.
Rashid Malik shared his insights, saying, “The standard of our junior players has improved significantly, and I have urged the PTF to focus on junior development.” Malik extended special thanks to Tariq Zaman, CEO of Ali Embroidery Mills, for his generous support in elevating tennis nationwide. He also highlighted that the PLTA has ambitious plans for 2025 and will work hand-in-hand with the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) to nurture young talent and drive the future of tennis in Pakistan.
The next matches will resume today (Thursday) at 10:00am. The event is being featured by 47 junior players from around the world, including participants from Hong Kong, Japan, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Canada, Korea, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Maldives, and Singapore. Pakistan is represented by 28 players, featuring 22 boys and 6 girls, making the event a showcase of global junior tennis talent.
