Generations unite as father-son pair reaches National Ranking Tennis final
Generations unite as father-son pair reaches National Ranking Tennis final
LAHORE: Pakistan’s emerging tennis talent Abubakar Talha and his father, Talha Waheed, one of the country’s leading ITF senior players, produced a memorable performance to secure a place in the men’s doubles final of the All Pakistan Juniors/Seniors National Ranking Tennis Championship 2026 being held at Sahiwal Club.
In one of the tournament’s most inspiring stories, the father-son combination displayed remarkable chemistry, composure and skill to overcome the challenge of Suleman Junaid and M. Yahya in straight sets 6-3, 7-5.
The unique partnership of Talha Waheed and his son Abubakar has attracted considerable attention throughout the event, highlighting a rare blend of experience and youthful energy.
Their victory not only earned them a place in the final but also provided one of the standout moments of the championship. They will now face Abdul Basit and Waqar Ahmad in the title decider. Basit/Waqar fought back strongly after losing the opening set to defeat M Mazhar and Hassaan Shaukat 2-6, 6-1, 10-4 in the other semifinal.
In the seniors 55+ doubles final, the experienced pair of Rashid Malik and Arif Feroze delivered a commanding performance to defeat Khurram Imtiaz and Fayyaz Nazir in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to capture the title. In the seniors 45+ doubles semifinals, Rashid Malik and Aqeel Khan outclassed Bilal Ahmad Kahloo and Moeed Zafar Dogar with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory. In the second semifinal, Talha Waheed and Hassan Saeed staged a strong comeback after dropping the opening set to overcome Yousaf Khan and Nazir Ahmad 3-6, 6-3, 10-2, setting up an eagerly anticipated final.
The men’s singles competition also reached its decisive stage, with Ahtesham Humayun and Imran Bhatti advancing to the final. Ahtesham defeated Hassaan Shaukat 6-3, 6-3 in a composed semifinal display, while Imran Bhatti secured his place in the title clash after overcoming Asad Zaman 6-1, 7-6 in a hard-fought encounter.
Ahtesham Humayun continued his outstanding run by clinching the boys U-18 Singles title with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 win over Abdul Basit. In the girls U-18 singles final, Bismal Zia fought back after losing the first set to defeat Khadija Khalil 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and lift the championship trophy. Ahtesham also partnered with M. Yahya to secure the boys U-18 doubles title, defeating Rashid Ali Bachani and Shayan Afridi 6-3, 6-1.
In the younger age-group categories, Shayan Afridi won the boys U-14 singles title, while Khadija Khalil claimed the girls U-14 crown. M. Muaz and M. Ayan emerged victorious in the boys U-14 doubles event.
In the U-12 competitions, M. Ayan captured the boys’ singles title, Shahnoor Umer won the girls’ singles crown, and Salaar Khan and M. Faizan triumphed in the boys’ doubles final. Meanwhile, Musa Pirzada secured the boys/girls U-10 Singles title with a 6-2 victory over Ibrahim Leghari.
The championship will conclude on Sunday with the men’s singles, men’s doubles and seniors 45+ doubles finals, promising an exciting finish to the national event.
