TENNIS IRISH OPEN:THE MAN who stood up to massive pressure from within his native Pakistan over partnering an Israeli player in doubles competition has claimed the doubles title in the Shelbourne ATP Irish Open Challenger.
Back in 2003, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi achieved international renown not just in tennis, but also outside the world of sport, when he defied both the the Pakistani Olympic Committee and Pakistan Tennis Federation.
Both bodies denounced Qureshi and warned that he would be barred from playing for Pakistan in the Davis Cup unless he stopped teaming up with Israeli Amir Hadad. But the strong-willed player refused to buckle, and, in recognition of his courageous and principled stand, both he and Hadad were presented by the ITF with the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award.
In 2003, both Qureshi and Hadad played in Wimbledon and the US Open, and towards the end of the year the Israeli got injured and retired.
This year, the 28-year-old Pakistani has demonstrated that he's still very much his own man by joining forces with two players from India - not Pakistani's most friendly neighbour in the political arena - Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj, son of Vijay, the former Grand Slam participant.
Last night at Fitzwilliam, Qureshi and Amritraj edged Britain's Jonathan Marray and Denmark's Frederik Nielsen 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a riveting doubles decider.
Recalling the events of 2003, after his doubles triumph, Qureshi said: "Some people in Pakistan didn't like the idea of me a Muslim playing doubles with a Jew, but I've always felt that politics should never be allowed to interfere with sport.
"Actually, the Pakistan Olympic Committee never approached me directly - they fed all this information to the media, and it appeared on the television and in the newspapers. The Pakistan Tennis Federation would have to toe the party line of the Olympic Committee because they would be dependent on it for funding.
"The ITF gave me great support by warning the Pakistani Tennis Federation that the country would be thrown out of the Davis Cup if they barred me.
"I knew Amir (Hadad) very well from playing on the Tour, and it suited us both to play doubles together as our games were suited to fast courts, and we both loved to play on grass.
"In cricket, for many years you had the situation where Pakistan and India didn't play each other, but thankfully the Test matches between the two countries were revived three years ago."
Nielsen, grandson of Kurt Nielsen, who finished runner-up in the Wimbledon men's singles final in 1953 and 1955, had compensation for his doubles defeat when he overcame Marray 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in the singles semi-finals.
Today, the 24-year-old faces Australian left-hander Robert Smeets, the number six seed, who defeated unseeded Czech player Tomas Cakl 7-6 (7/4) 6-1.
SHELBOURNE ATP IRISH OPEN CHALLENGER(at Fitzwilliam) — Singles semi-finals: F Nielsen (Den) bt J Marray (Gbr) 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7/4) 6-3; (6) R Smeets (Aus) bt T Cakl (Cze) 7-6 (7/4) 6-1. Doubles final: P Amritraj (Ind) A Queshi (Pak) bt J Marray F Nielsen 6-3 7-6 (8/6).
