Veteran tennis star Aqeel Khan emerged victorious in the men’s singles category at the 1st Emerging Pakistan National Ranking Tennis Championship 2025, held at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex in Islamabad.
He edged past Muzammil Murtaza to claim the title. The tournament featured a prize pool of PKR 1.5 million, distributed among the winners and runners-up.
Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan praised the Pakistan Tennis Federation’s revival efforts, particularly under President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, noting his valuable international experience in advancing tennis development in Pakistan.
The Minister also assured full government support for strengthening grassroots and professional tennis structures.
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi expressed his gratitude toward the Ministry of Commerce for its sponsorship and revealed plans to expand the Emerging Pakistan series, with the next leg proposed to be held in Quetta, Balochistan.
He also acknowledged the strong support from Secretary IPC Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani for various sports initiatives aimed at fostering tennis growth in the country.
In addition to his singles success, Aqeel Khan also secured the men’s doubles title alongside Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
The pair defeated Abdullah Adnan and Muzammil Murtaza in the final with a tight scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 10-7, showcasing their strong partnership and skill on the court.
Other notable winners in the juniors included Wapda’s Abubakar Talha, who claimed the boys’ U-18 title by defeating M Salar 6-1, 6-3.
In the boys’ U-14 category, M Junaid overcame M Muaz 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-1, while in the U-12 category, M Aayan triumphed over M Muaz with a 4-2, 4-2 victory.