Top seed Aqeel Khan starts National Tennis Championships with a win
Top seed Aqeel Khan forged ahead after crushing defeat over Waqas Ahmad in the men’s singles first round of the National Tennis Championships at the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts, Lahore.
Eight players qualified for the main draw-of-32 in the men’s singles first round of the 3rd Shehryar Malik Memorial National Grass Court Tennis Championship 2019 at the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts, Lahore.
Top seed Aqeel Khan forged ahead after crushing defeat over Waqas Ahmad 6-2, 6-2 while other prominent players who went through were Muhammad Abid, Muzammil Murtaza and Muddasir Murtaza.
In the only match which entered the third set, Yousaf Khalil beat Nauman Aftab 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. The match lasted 40 minutes as Yousuf fought back bravely after losing the first set. In an unusual result, 59-year-old Pakistan Lawn Tennis Association secretary Rashid Malik, who is also featuring in the tournament as a wildcard entrant, beat Mian Bilal, 25, with a score of 6-3, 6-3.
Men’s singles first round Results:
| Player | vs | Player | Score line |
| Imran Bhatti | def | Abdaal Haider | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Waqas Malik | def | Shakir Ullah | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Shehzad Khan | def | Azeem Khan | 6-2, 6-0 |
| Mudassar Murtaza | def | Abdullah Adnan | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Usman Rafiq | def | Hassan Riaz | 6-2, 6-2 |
| Yousaf Khalil | def | Nauman Aftab | 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 |
| Heera Ashiq | def | Ahmad Ch | 6-1, 6-1 |
| Abid Ali Akbar | def | Saqib Omer | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Asad Ullah | def | Israr Gul | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Muzamil Murtaza | def | Malik Abdul Rehman | 6-1, 6-3 |
| Ahmad Babar | def | Shoaib | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Yasir Khan | def | Ijaz Khan | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Barkatullah | def | Faizan Khurram | 6-3, 6-2 |
| M. Abid | def | Ahmad Kamil | 6-2, 6-2 |
