Aisam defends ITF Masters mixed doubles crown

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi added another glittering chapter to his remarkable tennis career as he successfully defended his World Mixed Doubles title at the ITF Masters World Championships, partnering Austria’s Nina Hermann to a straight-sets victory over the top-seeded Portuguese pairing of Fred Gil and Rita Freitas.

Aisam and Hermann produced a composed and confident display in the gold-medal match, defeating Gil and Freitas 6-4, 6-3 to retain the crown Aisam won a year ago. The victory capped an outstanding fortnight for the former ATP doubles star and provided another major boost for Pakistan tennis on the international stage.

The title was particularly significant because Aisam once again demonstrated his ability to compete successfully at the highest level of Masters tennis. Facing the tournament’s top seeds, the Pakistani-Austrian combination maintained its composure at crucial moments and completed the final in straight sets.

For Aisam, the triumph was the highlight of an impressive campaign in Lisbon, but it was far from Pakistan’s only success at the championships.

The country also secured silver in the Men’s 45+ Doubles, where Aisam partnered longtime compatriot Aqeel Khan. The Pakistani duo narrowly missed out on the gold medal after a thrilling final against France’s Jacques Glay and Jean-Baptist Renault, losing 1-6, 7-6, [10-7].

Aisam and Aqeel made an imposing start, dominating the opening set 6-1. The French pair, however, responded strongly in the second set, turning the contest into a closely fought battle. The momentum continued into the tiebreaks, where Glay and Renault eventually gained the decisive advantage.

Despite the defeat, the silver medal represented an excellent conclusion to Aisam and Aqeel’s doubles campaign. Their route to the final had included a dramatic quarterfinal victory over Spain’s Francisco Javier Martínez Baena and Pedro Nieto Orellana.

The Pakistani pair were pushed to the limit in that encounter, but showed remarkable resilience after saving two match points. They eventually prevailed 6-7, 7-6, [10-2] in one of the tournament’s most memorable comebacks.

Aqeel also contributed another medal to Pakistan’s impressive tally, winning bronze in the 40+ mixed doubles alongside Germany’s Eileen Aranas-Roth. Their run ended in the semi-finals against Gil and Freitas, who went on to finish as runners-up to Aisam and Hermann.

The results gave Aqeel his second medal of the Individual World Championships and underlined the depth of Pakistan’s performance across the different Masters categories.

Overall, Pakistan finished the two-week competition in Lisbon with four medal-winning performances. The country won silver in the Men’s 45+ World Team Championships, while Aisam and Aqeel secured silver in the Men’s 45+ Doubles. Aisam and Hermann captured gold in the 40+ Mixed Doubles, and Aqeel and Aranas-Roth claimed bronze in the same category.

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