PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tennis Association (KPTA) president Dr Tahir on Wednesday hoped more tennis players will emerge from the province who will dominate the game at national level and beyond.

“Players from our province have given excellent performances at national level,” Dr Tahir said. “Looking at their performances, several departments have enrolled our players on contractual basis or monthly stipends.”

Dr Tahir was addressing reporters at the end of a month-long Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) summer coaching camp held under the aegis of the KPTA at Peshawar Services Club and featuring top 20 players, including four females, in seven different categories.

“Four female players including 46 probables got training under qualified coaches namely Roman Gul, Janan Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mehmood Khan, Inam Ullah and Israr Gul in the first phase,” he disclosed.

“In the second phase, 16 male and four female players underwent rigorous training in different age groups and categories including under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18, men’s and ladies.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a number of starlets emerge in recent years and dominate the domestic circuit.

Hamid Israr and Hamza Roman have been prominent in the under-10 category while Kashan Umar and Obaidullah have dominated the under-12 level.

Similarly, Shoaib Khan and Aqib Umar have headlined the under-14 age group while Yousaf Khan and Yasir Khan have been on top at under-16 level.

Barkatullah and Saqib Umar have shone at under-18 level while female players Benish Khan, Usmania, Anum and Madiha have also been top performers.

All these players were part of the camp.

The chief guest at the closing ceremony, Secretary Information Tahir Hassan, lauded the efforts being put in by KPTA and assured all out efforts would be made by the government.

“As many as 10 courts are under construction in the province and more will be developed at district level so that more talent can come up,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2016