Adil Najam
Pakistani tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi will feature in two different finals at Flushing Meadow’s – the home of U.S. Open Tennis – this week: Aisam has reached the finals in both the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories!
(Photos: Picture on left is Kveta Peschke and Aisam-ul-Haq; picture on right is Aisam-ul-Haq and Rohan Bopanna; during US Open 2010)
He will be playing the first of those finals today (Thursday, September 9, 2010) – US Open Mixed Doubles – where Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke will play the World Number 1 ranked pair of Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan, both from USA.
This is by far the best performance by a Pakistani in a grand slam tournament, and to be playing in two different finals in one of the most important (possibly, second only to Wimbledon) tennis tournament in the world is a major achievement. In any doubles game credit should go equally to both players in the team, Aisam-ul-Haq has blossomed into a doubles player of great skill and merit and has been steadily improving his world standings in doubles tennis (now ranked No. 34 in World Doubles rankings).
We have followed with fascination the rise of the 30 year old from Lahore and written about him in different contexts (here, here, here). His rise in this year’s US Open Doubles tournaments has been particularly heartening, and all the more impressive since he is playing both categories side-by-side.
In the Mixed Doubles, the road to the Finals looked like this:
Kveta Peschke (CZE) and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) BEAT
Semi-Finals: 7-6, 7-6
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) and Mark Knowles (BAH)
Quarter-Finals: 3-6, 6-2, 1-0
Gisela Dulko (ARG) and Pablo Cuevas (URU)
Round 2: 5-7, 6-3, 1-0
Yaroslava Shevedova (KAZ) and Julian Knowle (AUT)
Round 1: 7-5, 4-6, 1-0
Vania King (USA) and Horia Tecau (ROU)
In the Men’s Doubles, the road to the Finals looked like this:
Rohan Bopanna (IND) and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) BEAT
Semi-Finals: 7-6, 6-4
Eduardo Schwank (ARG) and Horacio Zeballos (ARG)
Quarter-Finals: 7-5, 7-6
Wesley Moodie (RSA) and Dick Norman (BEL)
Round 3: 6-3, 6-4
Daniel Nestor (CAN) and Nenad Zimonjic (SRB)
Round 2: 6-4, 6-4
Michael Kohlmann (GER) and Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
Round 1: 6-3, 7-6
Brian Battistone (USA) and Ryler DeHeart (USA)
In both the finals, Aisam will be playing against American Bob Bryan. In the Mixed Doubles Final, Aisam and his Czech partner Kveta Peschke will play against Bob Bryan and his fellow-American Liezel Huber (ranked World No. 1) while in the Men’s Doubles Final Aisam and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna will be pitted against the American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan (also ranked World No. 1 in the doubles).
His stellar streak, coming at a time when just about everything in Pakistan- from floods to cricket – seems to be going terribly wrong gives some solace to Pakistani fans. The first of his Finals will be played later today (Thursday, September 9) and we wish Aisam and Kveta the very best of luck, as we do to Aisam and Rohan who will feature in the Men’s Final later this week.
Of course I am sorry that he did not win, but well done Aisam. We are proud of you. Well played and well presented.
Bob Bryan (U.S.) & Liezel Huber (U.S.):
Congrats for winning US Open vs Aisam ul Haq(Pak) & Kveta Peschke (Czeck) in first championship game. All of you guys displayed fantastic spirit.
And, Thanks for Bobby Bryan brothers generous donation on victory podium towards flood victims hit in Pakistan.
And, Thank you lovely New York City!!! You are indeed the greatest city.
Great match, even though he lost. His little speech at the end was also great, very well composed.
BTW, Bryan, from the winning team announced that he will make a donation towards flood relief efforts.
It is nice to hear about the pleasent news that a player has made it to US Open……..we all wish him great success!!!
I am not negetive but am just thinking how much %age of our population knows what TENNIS actually is……….and even if he knows what difference is it going to make in his life. I grew up in a small village in Khyber, I didnt know what Tennis is and who plays it untill I was the age of 16, thats where I found out, Tennis and Golf are games played by invisible people in Pakistan and then it took me 5 more years to find out who the invisibles are…….Today I can see that nobody will be able to invisibly rule us as we have got much bigger lenses to see through the fog created. Best of luck to Mr. Aisam…..!!!
BEst of luck, Aisam. I think the final starts in half an hour.