Former Davis Cupper and Secretary Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) Rashid Malik, along with other notable sports figures, inaugurated the event. The final of the five-day event will be played on August 30 at the same venue.
Director General Sports Punjab Muhammad Tariq Qureshi, in a statement on Saturday, said that it is the first time when a major tennis championship is being organized at newly-built State-of-the-Art five Tennis Courts. “We are quite upbeat that these modern courts, which are equipped with all modern facilities, will play a key role in the further promotion of tennis across the province,” he added.
The DG SBP further said that around 150 male and female tennis players from all parts of the province are participating in this high-profile tennis championship. “The championship is being contested in various age group categories including men’s singles, boys U-18, girls U-18, boys U-16, boys U-14, boys/girls U-12, boys/girls U-10, boys/girls U-8 and boys/girls U-6,” he said.
“The Sports Board Punjab is taking all effective measures to improve sports infrastructure throughout the province. The state-of-the-art tennis courts can help a lot in the development of tennis at junior level and provide fresh and promising tennis players to the country,” he added.
In the men’s singles pre-quarterfinals, Heera Ashiq beat Shahrukh Hussain 8-0, Imran Bhatti beat Hassan Kamran 8-0, Hamza beat Kamran Qureshi 8-2, Bilal Asim beat Abdul Saboor 8-0, Sikandar Hayat beat Aakif Hussain 8-0, Ahmad Waqas Basit beat M Faisal 8-1 and Abdullah Adnan beat Saif ul Aziz 8-2.
In the boys U-18 quarterfinals, Hamza Jawad beat Around Raza 6-0, Abu Bakar Khalil beat Zain Saeed 6-1. In the boys U-16 pre-quarterfinals, Asad Zaman beat Naad e Ali 6-1, Eesa Bilal beat Abdur Rehman Pirzada 6-1, Amna Ali Qayum beat Shahzaib Zahid 7-5, Abdullah Pirzada beat Raahim Khan 6-4, Abdur Rehman beat Aizad Khalil 6-3, Abubakar Talha beat Abu bakar Khalil 6-1 and M Sohaan Noor beat M Hammad Shahid 6-3.
In the boys/girls U-14 pre-quarterfinals, Bismal Zia beat Hafiz Hussain Ali 6-0, Abdur Rehman beat Hafiz Hassan Ali 6-0, Rehan Shahid beat Naad e Ali 6-2, Nabeel Ali Qayum beat Abdur Rehman Pirzada 6-1. In the boys/girls U-12 pre-quarterfinals, Mauz Shahbaz beat Hafiz Hussain Ali 6-2, Hajra Suhail beat Zayd Ahmad 6-1, Bismal Zia beat M. Ayyan Khan 6-0 and Ayyan shahbaz beat Rania Shahrukh 6-2.