The SICAS and Salamat School Tennis Championship started here at the Bagh-i-Jinnah’s LPTA Coaching Centre on Monday.
Around 175 players have been registered in this December 26 to 30 championship to be contested in five categories of under-10, 12, 14, 18 boys and girls.
On the opening day Pakistan tennis star Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Pakistan’s number one coach Rashid Malik encountered in a mixed doubles match also featuring national champion Ushna Suhail and junior champion Iman Qureshi. Although in the opening exhibition match there were no winners but the match was quite interesting in which Malik tried to prevail over Aisam who in return responded with the same vigour.
Aisam is also the patron of the championship while Rashid Malik is the tournament director of the event which is in its third year. Kh Mohammad Bakhsh will supervise the activity as the secretary of the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association.
On the opening day 12 matches in the under-18 category were played which saw Omair beat Ahmed Sultan 6-1, Hammad Imran beat BIlal Saqib 6-0, Arsal Khan beat Shoaib Akbar 6-2, Asad Amin beat Ijalal Zaka 6-0, Shahid Iqbal beat Moiez Saeed 6-4, HUssain Sheikh beat Taimur Ali Ahmed 6-4, Abdul Haider beat Nazir Bashir 6-1, Ahmed Waqas beat Bilal Toor 6-2, Ali RAza beat Ali Turab 6-0, Hamza Amin beat Haider Ali 6-1, Awais Khan beat Zafar 6-2, Amir Aslam beat Maroof Mir 6-1.
