LAHORE: Ushna Sohail, Meheq Khokhar, Bismal Zia and Fajar Fayyaz moved ahead as the 10th Sheheryar Malik Memorial Pakistan Open Tennis Championship 2026 was inaugurated at the Nishtar Park Sports Complex on Tuesday.
The championship was formally inaugurated by Fazal-ur-Rehman, Member Planning and Development Board, Punjab, who attended the opening ceremony as chief guest.
Prominent tennis personalities, including Rashid Malik (Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Senior Executive Vice President of Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA), Rao Iftikhar Ahmad, Imran Siddiqui, Waqar Nisar, Sohail Malik, Said Hassan, Mehboob Waheed and tournament coordinator Faheem Siddiqui, were present on the occasion along with players, their parents and tennis enthusiasts.
Speaking at the ceremony, Fazal-ur-Rehman paid tribute to Rashid Malik’s late son, in whose memory the national tennis championship is being organised. He also appreciated Rashid Malik’s dedication and efforts for the growth and promotion of tennis in Punjab.
“We need more dedicated and visionary sports organisers like Mr Malik, who can help develop sporting nurseries, nurture young talent and promote sports across the country,” he said.
Rashid Malik welcomed the participating players and wished them success, urging them to show determination, discipline and sportsmanship during the competition. He expressed confidence that the championship would provide emerging players with valuable competitive exposure and help prepare them for international challenges.
On the opening day, pre-quarterfinal matches were played in the men’s singles, men’s doubles and ladies’ singles categories.
In the ladies’ singles pre-quarterfinals, top contender Ushna Sohail defeated Shahnoor Umer 6-0, 6-1, while Meheq Khokhar advanced with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Anabya Baig. Bismal Zia blanked Saima Tahseen 6-0, 6-0, and Fajar Fayyaz overcame Zainah Abdullah 7-5, 6-4.
In the men’s singles, Muhammad Shoaib defeated Jabir Ali 6-2, 6-2, Abubakar Talha beat Ali Talha 6-3, 6-2, and Yousaf Khalil recorded a 6-0, 6-0 victory over M Junaid. M Huzaifa Khan beat Imran Bhatti 6-2, 6-1, Heera Ashiq defeated Usman Rafiq 6-1, 6-0, and Mudassar Murtaza overcame Uzair Khan 6-1, 6-1. Asad Zaman edged past M Talha Khan 7-6, 6-3, while Barkat Ullah defeated Asad Ullah 6-2, 6-2.
The men’s doubles event also featured competitive matches. M Abid and Abdullah Adnan defeated Shehryar Anees and Jabir Ali 6-4, 6-0, while Talha Khan and Huzaifa Khan beat Kashif Rehmat and Hamza Naeem 6-1, 6-0.
Omer Babar and Ahtesham Arif overcame Sami Zeb and Saif Ullah 7-6, 4-6, 10-8 in a closely contested match. Ahmad Babar and Heera Ashiq defeated Hamza Khan and Kamran Khalil 6-1, 6-2, while Imran Bhatti and Asad Zaman beat Asad Ullah and Uzair Khan 6-1, 6-2.
