ABUJA:

The International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tours Junior does not get much attention but the event in Abuja, Nigeria attracted global recognition with the girls doubles event featuring a pair from Pakistan and India, Telecomasia.net learnt on Friday.

The teenage girls partnered in the doubles event with the ITF projecting it as “sports unite nation” theme amidst the recent tension between the South Asian neighbours. 

The two countries have fought three wars since independence from the British rule in 1947, with bilateral sporting ties on a halt. 

Only a few and far between sporting encounters happen between the two countries, with cricket the most hit sport. 

Amidst the tension, the latest tennis partnership of the two girls reminds of the Rohan Bopanna men’s doubles partnership with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan for several years, with the pair known as the IndoPak Express. 

They were runners-up at the 2010 US Open Doubles event.

Pakistan’s Soha Ali and India’s Sidhak Kaur, secured their spot in the girls’ doubles semifinal after a 6-3, 6-5 victory over Nigerian pair of Fego Aiyetoma and Tolu Vyashi in straight sets, winning with a score of 6-3, 6-4. 

The victory got wide coverage in Nigeria and Pakistan with media outlets vying for interviews.
On Thursday night, the Indo-Pak pairing lost to Goodnews Aina and Success Ogunjobi of Nigeria by a score line of 2-6, 2-6 in the semi finals, ending their chance of a title finish.

Aisam showed happiness at the Indo-Pak partnership. “As a player and President of Pakistan Tennis Federation, I really felt great that our Soha partnered with Sidhak in the ITF event,” Aisam told www.telecomasia.net. 

“I have always said that sports should be kept apart from political barriers. Sports unite people and that’s the beauty of it.”
“I have partnered with Rohan and other Indian players and got huge respect and friendship, because our culture is the same. I truly believe sports is a platform to achieve better relations.”
Kaur is said to be the grand niece of gold winning Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi who played a phenomenal role in India clinching Field Hockey Gold at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

The ITF allows players to choose their partners after a discussion before the event.
Both the players did not speak to the media over fears of a backlash in their respective countries.