Pakistan’s tennis campaign at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 ended with a deeply disappointing record, prompting serious questions over the direction of the sport, player development, selection policy and the performance of the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).
Pakistan featured in 10 matches across singles, doubles and mixed doubles during the campaign. The final return was stark: one victory and nine defeats, a 10 per cent win rate, two sets won and 18 sets lost. More worryingly, Pakistan did not win a single set in any of its nine defeats.
The country’s only victory came in men’s doubles, where Aqeel Khan and Muhammad Shoaib defeated Mongolia’s Mandakh Davaadash and Sonompuntsag Enkhjargal 6-2, 6-0. However, the pair exited in the second round after losing to Chinese Taipei’s Chenjui Ho and Yu-Hsiou Hsu 6-3, 6-2 in just 46 minutes.
Every other Pakistani player or pair suffered defeat. In women’s singles, Ushna Suhail lost in the first round to Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Putintseva 6-1, 6-0 in 41 minutes. Mahin Aftab Qureshi was beaten by Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes, while Muzammil Murtaza lost his men’s singles first-round match to Jordan’s Zaid Al-Mashni 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and five minutes.
In mixed doubles, Ushna Suhail and Aqeel Khan went down to Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. Mahin Aftab Qureshi and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi also lost to Kazakhstan in the opening round, falling 6-3, 7-5.
The men’s doubles pair of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Muzammil Murtaza lost to South Korea 7-5, 6-4 in a first-round match lasting one hour and 50 minutes. In women’s doubles, Mahin Aftab Qureshi and Ushna Suhail were beaten by Mongolia 6-1, 6-0 in 48 minutes.
Muhammad Shoaib lost his men’s singles second-round match against Indonesia’s M. Rifqi Fitriadi 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and eight minutes. He later teamed up with Aqeel Khan in men’s doubles, but the pair lost in the second round to Chinese Taipei.
The numbers make uncomfortable reading for Pakistan tennis. Across nine defeats, Pakistan lost 18 sets without winning one. Five of those sets ended 6-1 and two ended 6-0, meaning seven of the 18 lost sets saw Pakistani players win either one game or none at all.
The Asian Games results are even more concerning when placed alongside Pakistan’s recent Davis Cup campaign. Only days before the Asian Games, Pakistan suffered a 3-0 whitewash against Tunisia in the Davis Cup World Group II tie. Muhammad Shoaib lost to Aziz Dougaz 6-2, 6-3 in 55 minutes, Muzammil Murtaza was beaten by Moez Echargui 6-1, 6-1 in 56 minutes, and the doubles pair of Mohammad Abid Ali Khan Akbar and Murtaza lost 6-3, 6-3. The reverse singles were not played after Tunisia secured the tie.
Taken together, the Davis Cup and Asian Games results have intensified debate over whether Pakistan men’s tennis is producing enough young players capable of competing at the international level.
At the centre of the discussion is the continued presence of veterans Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan. Both have made major contributions to Pakistani tennis, but the question now facing the sport is how long the national programme can continue relying on the same generation without creating a strong enough replacement.
Aqeel Khan, born in 1980, was 46 during the 2026 Asian Games. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, also born in 1980, was 46 as well. Aisam had formally announced his retirement from professional tennis in November 2025 at the inaugural ATP Challenger Pakistan, with the PTF describing the occasion as the conclusion of an era. Less than a year later, he returned to represent Pakistan at the Asian Games.
Before the Asian Games, Aisam told news media that he was unfit to play the Davis Cup tie against Tunisia. He later confirmed that he considered himself fit and would compete in men’s doubles while continuing his responsibilities as PTF president. That decision has generated questions about the separation between federation leadership and playing responsibilities.
Aisam was elected PTF president in February 2024 for a four-year term through a vote described as controversial. The Asian Games squad announced by the federation comprised Aisam, Aqeel, Muzammil Murtaza, Muhammad Shoaib, Ushna Suhail and Mahin Aftab Qureshi.
The concern is not merely that veterans were selected. The wider issue is whether major international events should continue to extend the careers of senior players or be used to give younger players meaningful exposure against top-level opposition.
Aisam’s Asian Games results included a 7-5, 6-4 men’s doubles defeat alongside Muzammil Murtaza against South Korea and a mixed doubles defeat alongside Mahin Aftab Qureshi against Kazakhstan. These results do not establish that he was medically unfit, but they do provide grounds for public discussion about selection, fitness, readiness, age and the role of a federation president who is also an active national-team player.
A similar debate surrounds Aqeel Khan. His longevity and contribution to Pakistan’s Davis Cup history are well documented, but his continued selection for major events raises the question of whether younger players are being given enough chances to take responsibility internationally.
Pakistan’s women’s results offered little relief. Ushna Suhail failed to progress in women’s singles, women’s doubles or mixed doubles. According to biographical records, Ushna is a cousin of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and was included in the six-member Asian Games tennis contingent. That family relationship alone does not establish any impropriety in selection, but her first-round exits in all three events are likely to bring the selection process and criteria under scrutiny.
The deeper concern is that Pakistan’s tennis decline cannot be blamed solely on individual players. The responsibility for building a competitive system rests with the federation. A healthy national programme should consistently produce players capable of replacing established names.
Young players require regular international tournaments, structured training camps, experienced coaching, physical preparation and financial support to compete on the ITF circuit. Without such a pathway, a country risks becoming dependent on a small group of players for years without producing a genuine successor generation.
The Asian Games figures should force an uncomfortable review. Ten matches, one win, nine defeats, two sets won, 18 sets lost and no sets won across nine defeats are not just signs of one poor tournament. They represent a statistical warning for Pakistan tennis, particularly after the 3-0 Davis Cup defeat against Tunisia.
The response cannot be limited to celebrating participation. Pakistan tennis needs a clear player-development strategy, transparent selection criteria, regular international exposure for emerging players and a serious succession plan for the generation that has represented the country for decades.
The PTF leadership has repeatedly spoken about developing players and taking Pakistan tennis forward. Aisam himself said when elected president in 2024 that he wanted to work for the betterment of players, coaches and trainers and take Pakistan tennis to new heights. However, the Asian Games results have now provided a measurable test of those ambitions.
For Pakistan tennis, this should be a moment for course correction. The 2026 Asian Games exit should prompt a serious review of selection, preparation, player development, international exposure and governance. If the same cycle continues, Pakistan’s biggest problem may not be losing individual matches, but losing an entire generation of potential players while waiting for the next veteran to carry the national flag.
