LAHORE - The 4th edition of Hassan Tariq Rahim (HTR) Masters Cup Invitational Tennis Tournament will explode into action here from December 23 at hard courts of the Lahore Gymkhana Club.

The opening ceremony of the tournament will be held at 11am on December 23, 2018. World’s doubles player and Pakistan’s pride Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has confirmed participation in the Doubles event and will be partnering Pakistan No 1 Aqeel Khan, said a spokesman of the organizing committee of the event on Monday.

Pakistan’s top ranked tennis players have been invited to this week-long tournament, being held in four categories, men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles and boy’s under 18 singles. The competition is being staged on format of Nitto ATP World Tour Finals held in London, every year. “World Ranked 1431 Samael Chaudhry from Great Britain has been given wild card entry in the men’s singles and doubles along with M Abid Ali Akbar and Ahmed Chaudhry, both ranked at 1911 in the world,” he said.

Late Hassan Tariq Rahim, son of former Governor Punjab Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Rahim, passed away in June 2013 at the age of 46 years. He was a very passionate club tennis player, who enjoyed and played tennis very religiously and was a very popular personality among the members of tennis club. In his commemoration and for promotion of tennis in Pakistan, the tournament is being held.   He said the event carries hefty prize money for the participants, as the total prize money of the tournament is Rs 1.10 million approximately, being the highest prize money tournament on Pakistan Tennis circuit.

Further, the players losing in Group matches will also be paid Group loser prize money for participating in the tournament. The outstation players will be provided with accommodation along with daily & travel allowances, he added.