Aisam-ul-Haq zips into a U.S. Open 2010 Final- Pak get’s cause to cheer up
It seems as if the 30-year-old professional tennis player from Lahore, Pakistan can do wrong. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, one of Pakistan’s leading sportsmen, has been stirring up a storm in the tennis business for several years now, but this is the first time that the hurricane came to town. Competing in the US Open 2010 with partners Rohan Bopanna from India and Kveta Peschke from the Czech Republic, Qureshi advanced to the finals of doubles and mixed doubles matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.
16th seeded Qureshi-Bopanna defeated Argentine duo Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos 7-6, 6-4 in today’s semi finals, volleying their way into the finals against brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. The two brothers from America are top seeds in the doubles tournament, having won a record number of events with a total of 63 titles.
Qureshi and his mixed doubles partner Peschke have also garnered huge success with their run in the US Open 2010, defeating all the opposition (most recently upsetting German Anna–Lena Groenefeld and Mark Knowles from the Bahamas 7-6, 7-6 in straight sets) to make it to the final against top seeds from America, Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan.
Aisam-ul-Haq is gaining a reputation as something of a tennis phenomenon; his interest in the sport arose at the age of 14, which, for tennis, is considered late. Most major professional players have been trained from ages as young as two, for Martina Hingis, and even less for Andre Agassi, whose father hung a racket and ball above his cradle when he was only an infant. However, this does not seem to have impeded Qureshi’s doubles progress by any great degree, with him and his constant partner Bopanna remaining on top of higher-seeded teams. Despite criticism for their rather controversial pairing, Qureshi and Bopanna remain fast friends on and off the court, gaining popularity for their aggressive serve-and-volley play.
Meanwhile, at a time when Pakistan is rapidly sinking into despair over the flood crisis and scandals involving its cricket players, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi’s victory at tennis has been greeted with delight and celebration. Qureshi himself issued a statement declaring, “I know that the people back home will be hoping for me to clinch this win and I want to give them this happiness.”
The player’s family has long since made it a practice to ban sports other than tennis at their home; Qureshi’s mother, Nosheen Ahtisham, was herself an amateur tennis player. His family’s backing and support has had a major influence on his success, since the Pakistani government provides no funds for Qureshi and tennis has almost zero national funding. Despite these apparent handicaps, his former coach, Rasheed Malik, maintains that he “has the talent and the capacity to go on and win the title”.
When asked about his feelings over the upcoming challenges, Qureshi seemed positive and upbeat, saying, “I am feeling confident about my chances in this clash”. Aisam is the first Pakistani to reach the finals of any Grand Slam tournament, and this year, millions of fans from his country have their prayers on him to succeed. However, Qureshi himself seems to view this as an opportunity to publicize tennis in his homeland, adding, “It's about time the authorities give proper recognition to tennis and other sports so that laurels could be achieved for the country.” With this in mind, whatever the outcome may be, Qureshi will forever be remembered as the tennis legend that succeeded against the odds and made tennis a sport for the masses of his country.
Tags: