Int’l Junior Tennis Championship serves off in Capital

ISLAMABAD, Apr 06 (APP): The ITF Pakistan 3rd Zainab Ali Naqvi Memorial World Juniors Tennis Championship (Leg-1) 2026 got underway at the PTF Tennis Complex here on Tuesday, attracting promising young talent from across the globe.

Organized by the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF), the tournament features participation of 39 players — 24 boys and 15 girls — representing 14 countries including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia, Russia, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Pakistan’s Mikaeel Ali Baig and Hamza Roman have been seeded first and second, respectively, in the boys’ category, reflecting the host nation’s strong presence in the competition.

The championship is being held in memory of Zainab Ali Naqvi, a talented young tennis player from Karachi who tragically passed away on February 12, 2024, after suffering a cardiac arrest during an ITF junior event in Islamabad.

On the opening day, several matches were decided in straight sets. In the boys’ category, Japan’s Masamune Matsumoto defeated Pakistan’s Inam Qadir 6-2, 6-0, while Hong Kong’s Jamie Chen overcame Singapore’s Ethan Chiang 6-3, 6-1. Jayden Park of Hong Kong beat Pakistan’s M. Ahmad Afzal 6-1, 6-1.

Arham Tariq of Pakistan advanced after Seo Lee of South Korea withdrew, while China’s Ruoyu Hua outclassed Pakistan’s Abdaar Ali 6-1, 6-0. Hong Kong’s Ho Wan Yeung and Pakistan’s M. Yahya progressed due to walkovers against Kongyi Hu and Daniel Alwadi, respectively. Pakistan’s M. Ayyan Waqas also moved ahead after India’s Moulik Agarwal withdrew.

In the girls’ matches, Russia’s Varvara Rubtsova comfortably beat Bangladesh’s Yeanna Chowdhury 6-0, 6-2. Japan’s Eyu Yoshida defeated Pakistan’s Soha Ali 6-3, 6-1, while Kazakhstan’s Safiia Urazalina edged past Romaisa Malik of Pakistan 6-0, 7-5.

Kazakhstan’s Yelizaveta Slepchenko secured a 6-4, 6-1 win over Japan’s Yuriko, and China’s Yijia Wang outplayed Poland’s Yuliia Artiuhina 6-1, 6-1. Japan’s Rino Shinden also advanced to the next round after a walkover against Kazakhstan’s Yeva Kim.

The tournament aims to provide international exposure to young players and promote tennis at the grassroots level in Pakistan.