KARACHI: Pakistan’s wheelchair tennis team reached the Pattaya Greta Sports club in Thailand on Monday to participate in the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Asia/Oceania Quali­fication competitions.

The team, comprising Asif Abba­si, Fida Hussain, and Mohammad Ayub Khan, is accompanied by non-playing captain/coach Mohammad Khalid Rehmani.

Eight male teams from the region, including Australia, China, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Korea, Sri Lanka and hosts Thailand are participating in the event. The winners of this competition will advance to the final, which will be held in the US later this year, and will feature teams from all the regions.

This is Pakistan’s second participation in the ITF wheelchair event. Last year, the national team secured the fourth position in Asia when they competed in Antalya, Turkey. Asif Abbasi, who is ranked among the world’s top 280 wheelchair tennis players, recently participated in an ITF wheelchair tournament in the UK and reached the men’s singles final and the doubles semi-final.

Salim Saifullah Khan, the president of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, is aiming to qualify for the Asian Paralympic Games being held in China later this year and the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023