Pakistan’s Muhammad Muaz made an impressive start to the J-30 Lahore Ali Embroidery Mills International Junior Tennis Championship 2026, upsetting China’s Bo Han Yang in the boys’ U-18 singles first round as international junior tennis returned to Lahore after more than 25 years.
Muaz, a student of coach Rashid Malik and sponsored by Fatima Group, overcame his Chinese opponent 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 at Aitchison College, where the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) inaugurated the International Tennis Federation (ITF) event on Monday.
The championship brings together promising junior players for international competition, offering Pakistani youngsters an opportunity to test their skills against foreign opponents on home soil. The return of an ITF junior tournament to Lahore marks an important development for the city’s tennis community and the promotion of the sport among young players.
The opening ceremony was attended by Fazal-ur-Rehman, Member of the Punjab Planning and Development Board, and PLTA President Capt (R) Fazeel Asghar, who were the chief guests. Rashid Malik, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz recipient and PLTA senior executive vice-president, also attended alongside Waqar Nisar, Abid Malik, Sohail Malik, Musa Niaz, Ms Aneesa Agha, Brig (R) Manzoor, tournament referee Arif Qureshi, assistance referee Asim Raza, tournament coordinator Faheem Siddiqui, players and members of the tennis community.
In other boys’ U-18 singles matches, Hassan Usmani defeated M Haziq Asim 6-0, 6-3, Abdul Basit beat Hamza Ali Rizwan 6-3, 6-4, and Rayyan Khan overcame Abdaar Ali 6-1, 6-0. Arham Tariq defeated Abdur Rehman Sohail 6-3, 6-0, while Omer Jawad beat Muhammad Yahya 6-3, 6-3. Muhammad Shayan also advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Adnan Afzal, and Nabeel Qayum overcame Rashid Ali 6-0, 7-6 (4). In the girls’ U-18 singles, Stefaniila Vasilevskaia defeated Bismel Zia 6-0, 6-0, while Dailies Hu beat Khadija Khalil 6-0, 6-2.
Rashid Malik wished the participating players success and emphasised the importance of international competition in developing young talent, improving standards and preparing promising athletes for higher levels of the sport.
He thanked Dr S. M. Turab Hussain, principal of Aitchison College, and the college administration for providing the venue and supporting the tournament. He also acknowledged title sponsor Ali Embroidery Mills especially Mr. Tariq Zaman for helping bring the international event to Lahore.
