Tennis Update: Aqeel Khan clinches 2010 Chief of Air Staff Khyber Open Tennis Championship
Aqeel Khan bagged the 29th Chief of Air Staff Khyber Open Tennis Championship, marking his tenth win in a row upon defeating brother Jalil Khan. The championship was played at the Pakistan Air Force Officers Mess Courts in Peshawar.
Aqeel initiated the one-and-a-half-hour match with a 6-3 win in the first set. The two brothers were tied at 5-5 in the second set until Jalil emerged victories by taking it to 7-5. That, however, seemed to be all that Jalil had to offer as Aqeel came back in the decisive third set, taking it 6-3 and clinching the title.
The offensive baseliner took his tenth consecutive title, a new record in Pakistani tennis.
Vice Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, was the chief guest at the tournament. Also present among the spectators were Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Arif, Base Commander, Air Commodore Azam Khan, the President of the PAF Sports Control Board Air and Commodore Hasan Khan.
Aqeel Khan is currently ranked no. 2 in Pakistan and is coached by father Jamil Khan.
Khan is also part of Pakistan’s Davis Cup team, and helped his team defeat Davis Cup favourites New Zealand when he eliminated Simon Rea 7-6 (5), 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, and 6-2 in the fifth rubber. Khan made it through to the Davis Cup World Group playoffs to play Chile in Santiago, but did not get far due to a lack of funds and international experience.
Khan was also part of the longest known Davis Cup tiebreak to date in his match against Korea’s Young-Jun Kim in the 2003 Asia Oceania Group I Relegation playoff. The first set tie break lasted 36 points. Khan was however defeated 7-6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–6.
Furthermore, Khan holds the record for playing the most ties for the Pakistani Davis Cup team and mostly teams up with Pakistani tennis sensation Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi for doubles.
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