LAHORE-Secretary of Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab, Shahid Zaman, inaugurated the Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Junior Tennis Championship 2023 on Wednesday here at SBP Tennis Academy in Nishtar Park. 
Secretary Sports Shahid Zaman himself hit a shot to declare the event open while the colorful opening ceremony witnessed the presence of esteemed guests, including SBP Head Coach Rashid Malik (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), players, their families, and devoted tennis enthusiasts. The Secretary Sports met all the participating players and alsoobserved a gripping singles match between juniors. 
Expressing his vision, Shahid Zaman said: “In the financial year 2023, our primary focus is the development of players. We have already enhanced our infrastructure, and now we are committed to nurturing internationally competitive players. These young talents will receive training and guidance from qualified national and international coaches, along with access to top-notch facilities. Additionally, we have planned international tours for our talented players, with the expectation that they will strive hard and bring international glory to Pakistan.”
He said the Sports Endowment Fund has received an impressive sum of two billion rupees, which will be utilized to provide scholarships to deserving players, motivating them to excel in their chosen sports. Moreover, the SBP has been organizing various sports summer camps across the province, engaging children in sports activities during their summer vacations. These camps will serve as significant platforms for talented players to exhibit their skills and emerge as national and international champions.
PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik extended his heartfelt thanks to Secretary Sports Shahid Zaman for hosting the SBP Punjab Junior Tennis Championship. He also acknowledged the announcement of the second leg of the SBP High Performance Tennis Training that follows this championship. 
“I am profoundly grateful to Secretary Sports Mr. Shahid Zaman, who, being a tennis player and an ardent promoter of the sports, possesses a remarkable vision for sports in general and tennis in particular. His proactive measures will undoubtedly benefit players and contribute to the long-term success of tennis in Pakistan.” Malik also commended the dedicated efforts of Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab, Wahab Riaz, and DG Sports Punjab, Dr. Asif Tufail, for the promotion sports in Punjab. 
“If government and private sectors invest properly in talented players and hold high performance camps at least two times a year with proper competitions, I am sure Pakistan can bring medals in any game. We must start it right now and our focus should be on producing champions and result-oriented players. Every country is known by sports so we need to sit together, join hands and work hard to give results,” Malik added.
The first day of the championship witnessed a total of 20 matches. In boys’ U-18 category, Haider Nadeem beat Hafiz M Imran 8-1, Yafat Nadeem beat M Sohaan Noor 8-0, Ahmad beat M Aneek 8-1, Ahmad Raza beat Hanzla Anwar 8-1 and Shaheer Khan beat Hassan Ali 8-1. In boys’ U-16, Ibrahim Sufi beat Ahmad 8-3. 
In boys’ U-14, Awais Zia beat Ahmad Khuda Bakhsh 8-3 and Ibrahim Sufi beat Syed Ahmad Fareed 8-0. In boys/girls U-12 first round, Awais Zia, Syed Ahmad Fareed, Aliyan Ali and Muhammad Muaz emerged as winners while in boys/girls U-10 first round, Mustafa Zia and Ayyan Shahbaz recorded victories.