ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s pair of Aqeel Khan and Shahzad Khan created history when they overpowered Pere Riba of Spain and France’s Luka Pavlovic in the doubles final of the Serena Hotels ITF Futures Tennis Tournament at the PTF Complex here on Saturday. Playing exceptional tennis and fighting it out for every point in front of home crowd, the Pakistan duo won the title 7-6(3) and 7-6(4)to register the first-ever victory by the country in ITF doubles final. Aqeel, the 37-year-old seasoned campaigner, played splendidly from the baseline while Shahzad ably supported him with his serves and volleys backed by some classic drop shots. Though there was immense pressure of the final on both the pairs, the Pakistanis coped with it better and in the end came out winners while enjoying full support of home crowd. In the first set the match started slowly as both the sides played cautiously trying to force the opponents to make mistakes. The pace of the match increased gradually, with both pairs showing their skills and pushing their opponents to the limits. Both pairs held their services and the set was finally claimed by Aqeel and Shahzad on tiebreak 7-6(3). In the second set, as the Pakistan pair led 5-2 the Riba-Pavlovic duo made a strong comeback managing to stop the advance of their rivals for a while. Aqeel and Riba, the former world No.65 and grand slam player, remained engaged in long rallies as the French-Spaniard pair broke several serves of their Pakistani counterparts to reduce the lead. When it was five all, some outstanding performance displayed by Riba and Pavlovic enabled them to edge ahead 6-5. However, the Pakistani duo then held their serve to make it 6-6. In the tiebreak, again both the pairs exhibited aggressive tennis and ultimately the host duo finally managed to prevail when a powerful shot by Shahzad was not returned. “This doubles victory is a great achievement, we are leaving a big challenge for our upcoming youngsters. The victory in ITF doubles was something missing in my career, which I achieved,” a jubilant Aqeel told reporters after the final. “Around 21 foreign players participated in this mega event and it is a great honour for us to win the first-ever doubles title.” Shahzad, who was as significant as his partner during the all-important final, said since he was pairing with Aqeel he had great confidence which helped him in contributing to the historic victory. Acknowledging the guidance and training they received from former Davis Cupper Hameedul Haq, the victorious pair said the coach played an important role in their triumph. A delighted Hameed, meanwhile, hoped more titles would be claimed by Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, December 11th 2017.