Pakistan’s rising stars in table tennis, Muhammad Taimur Khan of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Bisma Faryal of WAPDA, stamped their authority by clinching the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively at the Jashan-e-Azadi Masters Cup Table Tennis Tournament.

The four-day championship, organized by the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF), featured the country’s top 32 men and 16 women ranking players representing HEC, WAPDA, Army, OGDCL, NHA, Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The tournament, played in a league format, was held to finalize Pakistan’s national squad for the upcoming Islamic Games in Saudi Arabia later this year.

In the decisive stage of the men’s singles, HEC’s Taimur Khan overcame Shayan Farooq 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5 to claim the top spot by winning all eight of his league matches. Hamza Akram secured second place with seven victories. In the women’s singles, Bisma Faryal outclassed Kulsoom Khan 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 to finish at the top of the rankings, with Kulsoom settling for second place.

PTTF President Ahmer Mallick and Punjab Table Tennis Association President Irfan Ullah Khan distributed trophies and cash prizes among the winners. Speaking on the occasion, Mallick announced that the federation will organize a training camp in Lahore ahead of the Islamic Games to prepare the team for the best possible performance at the international event.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)