LAHORE - Raahim Veqar and Eraj Batool emerged as the standout performers after clinching the men’s and ladies’ singles titles respectively at the 2nd Sohail University National Tennis Championship, which concluded in Karachi.
Event Details and Participation
Hosted at Modern Club Karachi, the week-long championship was sponsored by Sohail University and organized by the Karachi Tennis Association under the auspices of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) and Sindh Tennis Association (STA). The tournament attracted an impressive 240 entries across various categories. A total of Rs1.54 million worth of prizes in kind were distributed among winners and runners-up of different national and junior events. Outstation participants were also provided with two-way economy-class railway fare support.
Men’s and Ladies’ Singles Finals
In the men’s singles final, Raahim Veqar edged past Haziq Areejo of Baseline Tennis Academy 8-6 to win the title. In the ladies’ singles final, Eraj Batool defeated Eschelle Asif 6-4 to lift the title.
Junior Singles Results
In the boys’ U-18 singles final, Muhammad Yahya of Islamabad defeated Rashid Bachani of SNGPL 6-1, 6-4. Eschelle Asif captured the girls’ U-18 title with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rania Bus. Rashid Bachani bounced back strongly to claim the boys’ U-14 singles title, overcoming M Muaz Shahbaz of Lahore 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. In the girls’ U-14 final, Eman Shahbaz of Lahore defeated Dua Yousuf 4-2, 4-2. The U-12 titles went to Aayan Shahbaz of Fatima Group and Eman Shahbaz. Aayan defeated Majid Bachani 5-4, 4-2 in the boys’ final, while Eman beat Dua Yousuf 4-0, 4-1 in the girls’ event. Eman also secured U-10 singles title by beating Rao Abdul Rehman.
Doubles Events
In doubles action, M Yahya and Rashid Bachani won the U-18 doubles title, while Ruhab Faisal and M Muaz finished runners-up. Mahatir and Ruhab captured the men’s doubles crown. The 45-plus doubles title was won by Rafi Derbari and M Abdul Saeed. In the 55-plus doubles category, M Irfat and Javed Iqbal emerged victorious. The U-14 doubles title went to Ayyan and Muaz of Fatima Group.
Closing Ceremony
Prof. Dr. M Saeed Quraishy (TI), Vice Chancellor of Sohail University, graced the closing ceremony as chief guest and distributed prizes among the winners. Air Commodore (R) Dr. Shahid Baqar, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr. Sabeeh Jafferee, Registrar Sohail University, Ghulam Muhammad Khan and several distinguished guests from the tennis fraternity were also present on the occasion. Tribute paid to Shahenshah-e-Ghazal Mehdi Hassan.
