Peshawar Hosts First-Ever Wheelchair Tennis Tournament in KP

In the Men’s Singles, Engineer Irfan Ullah claimed

victory over Ahsan Danish while in the Ladies’

Singles final, Tajmeena triumphed against Gulnaaz

Sports Reporter

Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tennis Association, working with the Pakistan Tennis Federation and International Tennis Federation, successfully organized the first Haji Malik Umar Khitab Khalil Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Championship at Peshawar Sports Complex on November 2. Notably, this event marked KP’s first wheelchair tennis tournament.

The championship featured 16 athletes, including eight male and eight female physically impaired players who competed throughout the day.

Chief Guest and Organizers

Professor Dr. Muhammad Tahir, Chairman of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tennis Association, attended as the chief guest. In addition, SVP Malik Umar Ayaz Khalil welcomed him alongside Sajad Muhammad Khan, Haji Khan, Arshad Hussain Khalil, and Haji Rehmat Gull. Moreover, coaches Roman, Shehryar, Noman, Zakir, Jawad, and senior journalist Nadar Khawaja supported the athletes with training.

Tournament Results and Highlights

In the Men’s Singles final, Engineer Irfan Ullah clinched victory over Ahsan Danish with a score of 6-3, 6-3. Similarly, in the Ladies’ Singles final, Tajmeena triumphed against Gulnaaz, winning 6-2, 6-2.

To recognize their achievements, the event awarded PKR 15,000 in prize money, along with trophies and certificates to the wheelchair tennis players.

Future Plans and National Trials

Malik Umar Ayaz Khalil led the event as the chief organizer. Furthermore, Muhammad Khalid Rehmani, Vice President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, announced that all finalists would receive invitations for national trials. Additionally, the federation has already selected two players from Mirpurkhas and four from Karachi.

Rehmani, who also serves on the Asian Tennis Federation’s Wheelchair Tennis Committee, noted that they plan to hold coaching camps in Lahore and Hyderabad to further boost wheelchair tennis development in Pakistan.