Pakistan Hosts the Billie Jean King Cup for the First Time as Eight Nations Begin Play in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A new page turned in Pakistan tennis on Wednesday. The Billie Jean King Cup is being played in the country for the first time, with the Asia/Oceania Group III (B) event under way at the PTF Tennis Complex. The four-day competition runs until October 24 and brings together women’s teams from eight nations — hosts Pakistan alongside Bahrain, Bhutan, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, the Maldives and Qatar.

Opening ceremony, draw and a trophy unveiled

The contingents gathered at a local hotel in the capital on Tuesday evening for the opening ceremony. The team captains met, the official draw was made and the trophy was unveiled in front of the visiting delegations. Among those present were Pakistan Tennis Federation president Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Kuwait Tennis Federation president Abdul Redha J. Al-Ghareeb and PTF secretary general retired Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail.

Hosting shows what Pakistan can stage, says Aisam

Aisam welcomed the teams and thanked the International Tennis Federation for allotting the event to Pakistan. Hosting a world women’s team competition like the Billie Jean King Cup, he said, shows the country’s growing capacity to stage major international events — and its commitment to promoting women’s tennis. For Pakistan’s own players, the federation says, the value is just as practical: a rare chance to test themselves against foreign opponents on their home courts, in front of their own crowd.