Pakistan Sports | August 2026 | 4 min read
⚡ Quick Takeaways
- Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi retained the 40+ Mixed Doubles world title in Lisbon.
- He partnered Austria’s Nina Hermann to beat top seeds Fred Gil and Rita Freitas.
- Aisam and Aqeel Khan also won silver in the Men’s 45+ Doubles event.
- Aqeel added bronze in the 40+ Mixed Doubles with Germany’s Eileen Aranas-Roth.
- Pakistan ended the ITF Masters event with one gold, two silvers and one bronze.
Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi has added another international title defence to his long tennis career, retaining the World Mixed Doubles crown at the ITF Masters World Championships in Lisbon. His gold medal helped Pakistan close the event with four medal-winning performances across team and individual categories.
| 1 gold | 4 medals | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Aisam and Hermann | Pakistan’s total finish | Mixed doubles final score |
Aisam Defends Mixed Doubles World Crown
Aisam partnered Austria’s Nina Hermann in the 40+ Mixed Doubles final, where the pair defeated top seeds Fred Gil and Rita Freitas of Portugal 6-4, 6-3. The straight-sets win allowed Aisam to retain the title he won last year and confirmed another major Masters success for the Pakistani veteran.
The final was significant because it came against the tournament’s top-ranked Portuguese team on home soil. Aisam and Hermann stayed composed, controlled the key moments and closed the match without being pushed into a deciding set.
For Pakistan tennis, the result offered a rare global title moment at Masters level and showed that Aisam remains competitive in elite age-group doubles events.
Aisam And Aqeel Add Men’s Doubles Silver
Aisam also reached the Men’s 45+ Doubles final alongside longtime Pakistan teammate Aqeel Khan. The Pakistani pair started strongly against France’s Jacques Glay and Jean-Baptist Renault, winning the opening set 6-1.
The French pair fought back to take the second set 7-6 and then won the match tiebreak [10-7], leaving Aisam and Aqeel with silver.
Their path to the final included a dramatic quarterfinal against Spain’s Francisco Javier Martínez Baena and Pedro Nieto Orellana. Aisam and Aqeel saved two match points before completing a comeback victory, winning 6-7, 7-6, [10-2].
| Event | Pakistani Medal | Result or Detail |
| 40+ Mixed Doubles | Gold | Aisam Qureshi and Nina Hermann beat Gil/Freitas 6-4, 6-3 |
| Men’s 45+ Doubles | Silver | Aisam and Aqeel lost final 1-6, 7-6, [10-7] after winning first set |
| 40+ Mixed Doubles | Bronze | Aqeel Khan and Eileen Aranas-Roth reached the semifinals |
| Men’s 45+ Team | Silver | Pakistan finished runner-up in the World Team Championships |
| Context: Pakistan’s four-medal finish combined individual doubles success with a team-event silver, making Lisbon a strong Masters campaign. |
Aqeel Khan Completes Two-Medal Campaign
Aqeel added another medal for Pakistan in the 40+ Mixed Doubles, partnering Germany’s Eileen Aranas-Roth. The pair secured bronze after their campaign ended in the semifinals against Portugal’s Gil and Freitas, who later lost the final to Aisam and Hermann.
The bronze was Aqeel’s second medal of the Individual World Championships after the Men’s 45+ Doubles silver with Aisam. His performance showed the value of experienced players in doubles formats.
| Positive Signal: The results give Pakistan tennis a morale boost and show that experienced players can still deliver international podium finishes. |
Four Medals Give Pakistan A Strong Finish
Pakistan ended the two-week event in Lisbon with four medals. The country won silver in the Men’s 45+ World Team Championships, gold through Aisam and Hermann in 40+ Mixed Doubles, silver through Aisam and Aqeel in Men’s 45+ Doubles, and bronze through Aqeel and Aranas-Roth in 40+ Mixed Doubles.
The medal spread matters because Pakistan reached the podium in both team and individual play, while Aisam and Aqeel remained central to the country’s strongest results.
The challenge now is turning Masters success into broader tennis momentum through deeper domestic systems, better facilities and more competitive pathways for younger players.
| Caution: Masters success is valuable, but Pakistan still needs stronger junior development and domestic competition structures to build future depth. |
Disclaimer: This article is based on available tournament reports and media coverage. Names and scores have been matched to the provided report and verified coverage where available.
