Pakistan’s veteran tennis icon Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi achieved a major milestone on Friday during the final ATP tournament of his illustrious career. Teaming up with Muzammil Murtaza, he booked a spot in the doubles final of the Islamabad ATP Challenger, marking a historic first for the country.
The Pakistani duo produced a dominant display against Turkey’s third-seeded pair, Mert Alkaya and Alp Horoz, cruising to a 6-1, 6-4 victory. With this win, they became the first all-Pakistani team ever to reach the final of an ATP event.
Although Aisam, now 44, has featured in 42 ATP World Tour finals and 58 ATP Challenger finals, all those runs came with international partners. This is the first time in his decades-long career that he will contest a championship match alongside a fellow Pakistani player.
Entering the event as wild cards, Aisam and Muzammil delivered an impressive semifinal performance to advance to Saturday’s decider. They are set to meet the fourth-seeded pairing of Dominik Palan from the Czech Republic and Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan.
The upcoming final will also mark the end of Aisam’s ATP journey. Considered Pakistan’s greatest tennis star, he hopes to bring down the curtain on his career with one last title win.
