National Tennis returned to Sahiwal after more than 27 years as the All Pakistan Juniors/Seniors National Ranking Tennis Championship began at Sahiwal Club, drawing over 150 players from across the country for six days of competition from June 2 to June 7.
The championship brought together leading and emerging talent across a wide range of categories, including men’s singles and doubles (Punjab Ranking), seniors 45+ and 55+ doubles, boys and girls U-18, U-14 and U-12 singles and doubles, and boys and girls U-10 singles. The return of National Tennis to Sahiwal generated strong local interest and lively crowds at the club courts.
The opening ceremony was attended by Commissioner Sahiwal Division Dr Asif Tufail as chief guest and Deputy Commissioner Sahiwal Capt (R) Samiullah Farooq as guest of honour, with players, coaches, parents and members of the local tennis community in attendance.
The tournament is being staged under the supervision of veteran administrator and former Davis Cup player Rashid Malik, recipient of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, who is serving as tournament director. Faheem Siddiqui is the tournament referee and Hamza Naeem is coordinating operations. Rashid Malik is also heading the disciplinary committee, with Salman Habib (Sports Secretary), Mian Naveed Malik, Ch Asif and Nathan Asher as members, while the organizing committee is led by Hassan Said with Hamza Naeem, Ch Hamza, Dr Ali and Zeeshan Sheikh on the team.
Commissioner Dr Asif Tufail praised the joint efforts of Sahiwal Club and the district administration for bringing a major national sporting event back to the city, calling it a matter of pride for the area and expressing his best wishes to the competitors. Tournament director Rashid Malik urged youngsters to compete with determination and sportsmanship and expressed hope that National Tennis will be hosted in Sahiwal on a regular basis.
On-court action in the men’s singles first round saw comfortable wins for Shahzaib Hassan, Ahmad Hameed, Zakir Ullah, Hassan Kamran, Suleiman Junaid and Alyas Khan as they advanced to the next stage. In the boys U-18 matches, Ahtesham Humayun, Ahmad Shuja Rehman, Rashid Ali Bachani, Shayan Afridi and Abdul Basit recorded victories, while the U-14 competition produced notable performances from M Ahsan Bari, Ali Muntazim, Behroze Memon, Haseeb Mustafa and Shayan Afridi.
The championship is supported by local and national partners including Cheezious, Adams Foods, Sahiwal Club members and the offices of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, and is expected to deliver competitive matches and opportunities for rising players to stake their claim in Pakistan’s tennis ranks.
