Pakistan’s Muhammad Shoaib continued his impressive run in the McDonald’s Pakistan ITF Championship 2026 (ITF M-15 Leg-2) by securing a place in the men’s singles semifinal at the PTF Tennis Complex on Friday. Shoaib defeated Turkey’s Kerem Yilmaz in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(9) in a thrilling quarterfinal encounter, extending his remarkable form after winning the ITF M-15 Leg-1 title earlier. The victory made Shoaib the first Pakistani player after Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan to reach back-to-back ITF Men’s semifinals, highlighting his growing stature in international tennis. The McDonald’s Pakistan ITF Championship 2026 has attracted 86 players from 22 countries, including Pakistan, Kuwait, Russia, Uzbekistan, Sweden, Morocco, Malaysia, Great Britain, Italy, Lithuania, China, Turkey, Algeria, Canada, Ireland, Poland, Hong Kong, Greece, Lebanon, Germany, France and Japan. Algeria’s Samir Hamza Reguig, holding an ATP ranking of 844, entered the tournament as the top seed. In other singles quarterfinal matches, Sweden’s Arvid Nordquist defeated Turkey’s Mert Naci Turker 6-3, 6-4, while Russia’s Nikita Ianin overcame Kazakhstan’s Grigoriy Lomakin 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Italy’s Edoardo Cherie Ligniere caused a major upset by defeating top seed Reguig 7-5, 6-2. In the doubles semifinals, Russia’s Andrei Kunitsyn and Nikita Ianin beat Pakistan’s Muzammil Murtaza and Grigoriy Lomakin 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Turkey’s Mert Naci Turker and Melih Anavatan advanced after receiving a walkover against Kerem Yilmaz and Canada’s Adam Farag-Cao.
Shoaib storms into semifinals of Pakistan ITF Championship
Published on: May 9, 2026 5:14 AM