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ISLAMABAD: Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Muzammil Murtaza have reached the final of the ATP Challenger Tour in Islamabad on Friday, marking the first time a Pakistani pair has reached this stage in the tournament&#39;s history.&nbsp; The event, taking place at the Pakistan Tennis Federation Complex, is the first ATP Challenger Tour event to be hosted in the country. The Pakistani duo secured their place in the final after defeating Turkiye&rsquo;s Alp Horoz and Mart Alkaya 6-1, 6-4 in the men&rsquo;s doubles semifinal. The tournament features 25 international players from Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Australia, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Georgia, as well as 10 top Pakistani players. Elias Ymer of Sweden, ranked 169th in the ATP World/PIF Rankings, is the top seed, with Great Britain&rsquo;s Jay Clarke, ranked 213th, as the second seed. In the men&rsquo;s singles quarterfinals, Mert Alkaya of Turkey defeated top seed Ymer 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-0. Clarke defeated Ukraine&rsquo;s Vadym Ursu 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6). Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan won against Johan Nikles of Switzerland 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, while Zach Stephens of Great Britain defeated Dominik Palan of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-3. In the doubles semifinals, Qureshi and Murtaza won 6-1, 6-4 against Alkaya and Horoz. In the other semifinal, Dominik Palan of the Czech Republic and Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan defeated Nikita Bilozertsev of Ukraine and Preston Brown of the USA 6-1, 7-5. The doubles final will see Qureshi and Murtaza compete for the title against Palan and Yevseyev.

Tennis

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Muzammil Murtaza reached the ATP Challenger Tour doubles final in Islamabad, defeating Turkey’s Alp Horoz and Mart Alkaya 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinal.

Pakistan’s Qureshi, Murtaza advance to ATP Challenger Final

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host its first-ever Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament this November, marking a historic milestone for the country&#39;s presence on the global tennis circuit, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi announced on Tuesday.&nbsp;Speaking at a press conference, Qureshi said the event will bring international players to Pakistan and establish the country as a rising venue for professional tennis.&nbsp;&ldquo;Hosting an ATP event is a dream come true for Pakistan tennis,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge step forward for our players, our fans, and the entire sporting community. We are committed to providing world-class facilities and opportunities for our athletes.&rdquo;&nbsp;Qureshi praised recent performances by Pakistan&rsquo;s junior players in ITF tournaments held in Islamabad, saying their success reflects the nation&rsquo;s growing talent pipeline.&nbsp;He also outlined ongoing development plans, including the Covered Court Project at the PTF Complex to enable year-round training regardless of weather conditions.&nbsp;Speaking on Pakistan TV&rsquo;s Scoreboard, Qureshi emphasized how long he had worked to secure ATP approval.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is a historic moment for Pakistan tennis, &nbsp;not just for tennis, but for Pakistan itself,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have been trying very hard for the past few years, convincing ATP for us to hold an ATP tournament.&rdquo;&nbsp;He added that the new tournament could shift Pakistan&rsquo;s position in the sport globally:&nbsp;&ldquo;This is going to be a major change, and we will see a big shift. This tournament will open a lot of doors for us to host ITF men&rsquo;s tournaments in the future as well. My vision is to support the players, give them opportunities, and promote them.&rdquo;&nbsp;Looking ahead, Qureshi announced that Pakistan will also host five J-30 and two J-60 ITF Junior tournaments in the coming months, offering young athletes increased international exposure and competitive experience.&nbsp;The upcoming ATP event is being viewed as a long-awaited breakthrough for Pakistan&rsquo;s tennis community, and a signal of the country&rsquo;s intention to re-establish itself on the global sporting map

Pakistan will host its first-ever ATP tournament this November, a landmark achievement hailed by PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, who also announced new junior events and infrastructure projects to boost year-round tennis development nationwide.


Articles tagged with "Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi"

Pakistan’s Qureshi, Murtaza advance to ATP Challenger Final

Pakistan to host first ATP tournament, marking landmark tennis breakthrough