Hamza Roman storms into ITF World Junior Tennis semifinals
BY NAWAZ GOHAR ; Rising Pakistani tennis star Hamza Roman delivered a composed, high-stakes performance to storm into the boys’ singles semifinals of the ITF J-30 PPL Pakistan World Junior Tennis Championships 2026, emerging as the sole Pakistani contender in the singles last four after compatriots Ahtesham Humayun and Muhammad Hassan Usmani bowed out in hard-fought quarterfinal battles.
Playing on home courts at the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Tennis Complex in Islamabad, Hamza Roman defeated Sri Lanka’s Aahil Kaleel in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, exhibiting sharp baseline control and mental resilience to close out a tight second set.
Meanwhile, inclement weather forced tournament officials to suspend the afternoon schedule, postponing all boys’ and girls’ doubles quarterfinal fixtures. Under the revised tournament itinerary, the suspended doubles matches will resume on Friday.
While Hamza Roman carried the national flag forward, Pakistan’s other two singles quarterfinalists faced tough international opposition:
Ahtesham Humayun pushed Belarus’s Aliaksandr Viarsotski to the brink in a grueling three-set marathon before narrowly falling 6-2, 6-7(3), 7-5. Muhammad Hassan Usmani suffered a straight-sets exit against Thailand’s Phasin Sinchalong, going down 6-4, 6-4.
Elsewhere in the boys’ draw, Thailand’s Napat Pattanalertphan edged past Russia’s Nikita Dogadin in a thrilling tiebreak finish (6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5)) to round out the semifinal lineup.
In the girls’ singles quarterfinals, Russian and Thai players dominated the courts. Victoria Gruntova and Varvara Rubtsova secured straight-set victories for Russia, joined in the semifinals by China’s Meimei Hu and Thailand’s Pimpisa Wongwanitkajon.
Despite the rain delay, local fans still have plenty to cheer for when action resumes. Seven Pakistani athletes remain alive in the doubles quarterfinals:
Boys’ Doubles (6 Players): Hamza Roman, Ahtesham Humayun, Haziq Asim, Muhammad Hassan Usmani, Amir Mazari, and Abdul Basit. Girls’ Doubles (1 Player): Hajra Sohail.
Sponsored by Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), the J-30 championship has brought together 62 elite junior athletes (39 boys and 23 girls) from 17 nations—including Russia, China, Spain, Australia, Canada, Germany, Sweden, and Japan—offering crucial ITF World Tennis Tour Junior ranking points.
