ISLAMABAD, July 1: Aisamul Haq, who qualified for the third round of the doubles event at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships last week, is not the first Pakistani to have done so.

Haroon Rahim made it to the third round of the championship in 1976 in partnership with J. Borowiak of the United States, thereby earning the distinction of becoming the first Pakistan player to have gone this far.

It was widely reported in the Pakistani media Saturday that Aisam had earned a first when he teamed with an Israeli player Amir Hadad to knock out the 11th seeded pair of South African Ellis Ferreira and American Rick Leach to make the third round.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) however cautiously appreciated Aisam’s progress but said if the government asked for action to be taken against Aisam, they would have to comply.

Some of the former Pakistan tennis players, including Jameel Ahmed have been generous in praising Aisam. “I think he is a very good player and having entered the third round of a championship as prestigious as Wimbledon, is no small achievement.”