LAHORE  -  Muhammad Talha Khan and Nadir Mirza have qualified for the semifinals while the country’s doubles teams have made their mark, advancing to the finals of ITF Pakistan J30 Ali Embroidery Mills World Junior Tennis Championship 2024 at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad. In a thrilling quarterfinal battle, M Talha Khan triumphed over Park Dohyun of Korea in a hard-fought three-set match, securing a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Talha’s performance has earned him a place in the semifinals. In another exciting quarterfinal, Nadir Mirza displayed his skills, overcoming TeetawatTavachphongsri of Thailand with a commanding 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win, thus earning a place in the semifinals.

In the doubles category, Pakistan’s junior teams are also shining bright. Haider Ali Rizwan and Abubakar Talha secured a solid win in the boys’ doubles semifinals, defeating Aahil Khalil (Sri Lanka) and Louis Eliah Kense (Germany) 6-4, 6-3, to secure their spot in the final. Not far behind, Bilal Asim and Ahmad Nael Qureshi also progressed to the final with a thrilling 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Xiuyuan Guo (China) and Ho Jun Park (Korea). Other notable results include victories by Sion Ji (Korea), who won decisively against Seung Woo Han (Korea) with a 6-0, 6-0 scoreline, and Xiuyuan Guo (China) who overcame Pakistan’s Hamza Roman 6-2, 6-2. In the girls’ singles quarterfinals, the competition was fierce, with standout performances from Karolina Ligai (Kazakhstan), who defeated Chaerin Lee (Korea) 6-1, 6-3, and Dinara De Silva (Sri Lanka), who bested Aaraa Aasaal Azim (Maldives) 6-2, 6-1. The girls’ doubles semifinals saw the Korean pair of Yeon Joo Cha and So Yuna defeat Thai duo of ParameeTadakew 6-4, 6-3, while the Japanese team of Haruhi Katsube and Hinata Wada overcame Pakistan’s Aaraa Aasaal Azim and Amana Ali Qayum 7-5, 6-1. Rashid Malik, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, expressed his admiration for the performance of Pakistan’s juniors, particularly praising Muhammad Talha Khan and Nadir Mirza for making it to the singles semifinals.

He also highlighted the remarkable consistency of the doubles teams, with Haider Ali Rizwan, Abubakar Talha, Bilal Asim, and Nael Qureshi advancing to the finals. “It’s a great performance by our juniors, who continue to perform consistently and improve every year in international events,” he added.