Pakistan’s young tennis stars continued their dream run at the regional level, ending their campaign as joint winners of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) U12 Team Competition – South Asia, after rain washed out the final against hosts Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.
The title was shared between the two sides as the match could not be completed due to persistent rain. However, both teams—Pakistan and Sri Lanka—earned qualification to the prestigious ATF U12 Team Competition of Asia Finals, scheduled to be held in Singapore in late August 2025.
Before the skies opened, Pakistan had made a strong start in the final, carrying on from their domination of India in the previous round. Rising talent Rashid Ali delivered a composed performance to edge past Sri Lanka’s Wevita Nuren Jaylen Mendis in the opening singles, winning 5-4 (7-2), 4-0. The second singles, featuring Muhammad Shayan Afridi against Amarasinghe Revaan, was locked at 2-4, 4-2 (1-0 in tie-break) when play was suspended.
Pakistan reached the final on the back of a dominant showing throughout the week, sweeping aside India (2-0), Maldives (3-0), Bangladesh (3-0), and Nepal (3-0) without dropping a single tie. Their unbeaten record reflects a growing depth in the country’s youth tennis structure.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi lauded the young team’s impressive run, calling it a proud moment for the sport in the country.
“Congratulations to all team members on this outstanding achievement,” said Qureshi. “This is a proud moment for Pakistan. The performance of our team will inspire a new generation of players.”
The performance in Colombo is being seen as a major boost for Pakistan’s junior tennis development, with hopes now pinned on a strong finish at the Asian Finals later this year in Singapore.
