The ITF Pakistan 3rd Zainab Ali Naqvi Memorial World Juniors Tennis Championship (Leg-1) began on 7 April 2026 at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad, bringing together 24 boys and 15 girls representing 14 countries. Participants hail from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia, Russia, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand in a strong international field.
Local interest is high with Pakistani players among the top seeds; Mikaeel Ali Baig and Hamza Roman are seeded first and second respectively. The main draw matches for both boys and girls are scheduled to start on April 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the PTF Tennis Complex.
The tournament is held in memory of Zainab Ali Naqvi, a promising young player from Karachi who died on 12 February 2024 after suffering a heart attack while competing in an ITF junior event in Islamabad. The Zainab Ali Naqvi dedication underscores the event’s significance for Pakistan’s junior tennis community and gives the tournament added emotional weight for local players and officials.
Opening round results saw Masamune Matsumoto (JPN) beat Inam Qadir (PAK) 6-2, 6-0, while Jamie Chen (HKG) defeated Ethan Chiang (SGP) 6-3, 6-1. Jayden Park (HKG) overcame M. Ahmad Afzal (PAK) 6-1, 6-1 and Arham Tariq (PAK) advanced via walkover against Seo Lee (KOR). Ruoyu Hua (CHN) beat Abdaar Ali (PAK) 6-1, 6-0, Ho Wan Yeung (HKG) advanced via walkover over Kongyi Hu (CHN), M. Yahya progressed with a walkover against Daniel Alwadi, and M. Ayyan Waqas moved forward by walkover against Moulik Agarwal (IND).
On the girls’ side Varvara Rubrsova (RUS) beat Yeanna Chowdhury (BAN) 6-0, 6-2, Eyu Yoshida (JPN) defeated Soha Ali (PAK) 6-3, 6-1, and Safiia Urazalina (KAZ) overcame Romaisa Malik (PAK) 6-0, 7-5. Yelizaveta Slepchenko (KAZ) beat Yuriko (JPN) 6-4, 6-1, Yijia Wang (CHN) defeated Yuliia Artiuhina (POL) 6-1, 6-1, and Rino Shinden (JPN) advanced via walkover over Yeva Kim (KAZ).
As the main draw gets under way, the event offers a valuable international platform for emerging talent and a chance for Pakistan’s juniors to test themselves against a diverse field while honoring the memory of Zainab Ali Naqvi.
