LAHORE - The ITF Pakistan J30 Ali Embroidery World Junior Tennis Championship 2024 was officially inaugurated on Monday by Yasir Pirzada, Director General of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), at the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex in Islamabad. The opening ceremony was attended by prominent figures from the sports and tennis community, with Yasir Pirzada, DG PSB, serving as the chief guest and PTF President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was the guest of honor. Other notable attendees included PTF Secretary Col Zia-ud-Din Tufail, PLTA SEVP Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) along with senior vice presidents and directors from the PTF. The ceremony saw a large gathering of players, coaches, parents, and tennis enthusiasts, all gathered to celebrate the event’s launch. In his address, Yasir Pirzada extended a warm welcome to the international participants, reaffirming the PSB’s commitment to supporting the promotion of tennis in Pakistan. He emphasised the importance of such events in raising the profile of tennis in the region.Aisamexpressed gratitude for the PSB’s support, emphasising the PTF’s eagerness to host more international tournaments to provide local players with more competitive opportunities. Expressing his gratitude, Rashid Malik said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to PTF President Aisamul Haq Qureshi for bringing the ITF Masters 200 event back to Lahore after a seven-year hiatus. The success of the ITF Masters events will undoubtedly pave the way for Lahore to host two ITF Masters tournaments and two ITF Junior World Tennis Championships starting next year.“Additionally, the PLTAwill organise four Junior National Tournaments in January and February, further enhancing the tennis calendar in the region,” Malik added. In the boys’ singles first round, several Pakistani players advanced to the second round. M Talha Khan defeated Yeonmu Jung of Korea 6-2, 6-2, while M Salar Khan triumphed over Aahil Khalil of Sri Lanka with a 6-4, 7-5 win. Hamza Roman beat Thailand’s PatcharapholLeekul 6-4, 6-4, and Nadir Mirza secured a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over Jian Pyun of Korea. However, several other Pakistani players faced defeats. Danthai Takong (THA) beat M Hamza Asim (PAK) 7-5, 6-4; Pathan Laosakulporn (THA) beat Shehryar Anees (PAK) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Sion Ji (KOR) beat Abubakar Talha (PAK) 7-5, 6-3; Teetawat (THA) beat Amir Mazari (PAK) 6-4, 7-5; Youngchae Oh (KOR) beat M Huzaifa Khan (PAK) 6-4, 7-5; Park Dohyun (KOR) beat Asad Zaman (PAK) 6-2, 6-1; AriyapholLeekul (THA) beat Haider Ali Rizwan (PAK) 6-3, 6-1. While Seung Woo Han (KOR) beat Muhammad Ali (CAN) 6-1,7-6(3); So Yuna (KOR) beat Haruhi Katsube (JPN) 6-1, 6-1 and Xiuyuan Guo (CHN) beat Ho Jun Park (KOR) 6-2, 6-4.
In all, 47 (28 boys and 19 girls) junior players from around the world are featuring in the prestigious event. The athletes from Hong Kong, Japan, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Canada, Korea, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Maldives, and Singapore have gathered to compete. The tournament also showcases 28 Pakistani players, including 22 boys and 6 girls, highlighting the international appeal of the event.