The beleaguered Pakistani nation finally has something to cheer about, as their tennis ace Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi made history at the last Grand Slam of the year by becoming the first man from the country to make it to the finals of a Grand Slam event.
The Lahore born 30-year old has made it to the finals of both the doubles and mixed doubles event, producing a stunning display of tennis along with his partners Rohan Bopanna and Kveta Peschke.
It has been a truly memorable week for Aisam-Ul-Haq and India’s Rohan Bopanna, as they finally made an impact on the tennis world after having easily their best season at the international level, winning some events whilst making it to the quarterfinals at the biggest stage of them all, Wimbledon, where only an injury to the Pakistani quashed their dreams.
However, they have redeemed themselves big time at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and that was visible as they trounced some of the biggest pairs in the game, before disposing off Argentine pair of Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (7-5) and 6-4.
This is the best ever performance for both players individually as well as a pair ever since they started playing together around two years ago.
The incredible aspect about the pair is that they belong to countries that have fought three wars and have a bitter history – to say the least – across the Wagah border.
The duo is a symbol of hope and peace, and if they win, they are set to be wild celebrations across Wagah and for once some more than a billion people will be united in a moment of triumph.
The two have been great buddies of the court and have brushed aside the bitterness that prevails; they have been extremely lucky that their games complement each other, and above all, they have proven to the rest of the world that the two nations can have love and tolerance for each other only if politics are kept aside.
With their golden run, they have proved to the poverty-stricken people of the region that they can touch the sky if they unite and spread across message of love, peace and tranquillity.
The duo was quietly confident before leaving for the United States. Aisam-Ul-Haq had remarked then that he and his partner were up for something very special and they sure have done that.
They were finally rewarded for their consistent performances, winning a berth amongst the seeds for the event; they are currently placed at number 15 in the ATP doubles team rankings.
While India has had many outstanding doubles pairs like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, Pakistan has struggled to make an impact at either the singles or doubles event.
Aisam-Ul-Haq is easily the best player to represent Pakistan on the ATP circuit and has proven that anything can be achieved with hard work and determination.
He has an impeccable demeanour off and on the court, and is already being hailed as a hero in the country as he continues breaking records at a time when Pakistan’s more esteemed and revered cricketing team lets the nation down with their spate of controversies and abysmal on-field performances.
He hails from a tennis background and he and his sister have the unique record of being one of the few pairs of siblings to have represented their country at the Davis Cup and Federation Cup, the country level competitions for men and women.
Now he is a step away from creating history; the success-starved people of Pakistan would be happy with either a doubles or mixed doubles crown, yet nothing would beat a pair of triumphs.
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