Aqeel Khan
Encyclopedia
Aqeel Khan is the current Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i number two and National Champion in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

. His favourite surface is Grass. He is coached by Pakistani tennis coach Jamil Khan, who is his father. Aqeel Khan is sponsored by Jaffer
Jaffer
Jaffer is a surname or given name, and may refer to:* Aubrey Jaffer, mathematician and software engineer* Melissa Jaffer , Australian actress* Mobina Jaffer , Canadian senator* Murtz Jaffer , Canadian journalist...

 Brothers (Jaffer Group of Companies).

Career

His career highlights include helping the Pakistan Davis Cup team
Pakistan Davis Cup team
The Pakistan Davis Cup team represents Pakistan in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Pakistan Tennis Federation.Pakistan currently compete in the Asia/Oceania Zone of Group II...

 defeat favourites, New Zealand
New Zealand Davis Cup team
The New Zealand Davis Cup team represents New Zealand in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by Tennis New Zealand.New Zealand currently compete in the Asia/Oceania Zone of Group II. They have played in the World Group on 8 occasions, the most recent of which was in 1991. They reached...

, in the Davis Cup, by beating Simon Rea
Simon Rea (tennis)
Simon Rea is a tennis player from New Zealand.The former New Zealand number two Rea's highest ATP singles rank was World No. 473.-Sources:...

, 7–6(5) 2–6 3–6 6–3 6–2 in the fifth rubber; and reaching the Davis Cup World Group play-offs against Chile
Chile Davis Cup team
The Chile Davis Cup Team represents Chile in Davis Cup tennis tournament and is governed by Chile Tennis Federation. The team is currently captained by former Chilean tennis player Hans Gildemeister.-History:...

 in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

.

Despite the potential to move further up the rankings, opportunites have been limited due to a lack of funds, and not enough ITF tournaments being played in Pakistan. It means he has to travel to India in order to play matches.

Aqeel Khan was involved in the longest-known Davis Cup tiebreak to date when losing to Korea's Young-Jun Kim in the 2003 Asia/Oceania Group I Relegation play-off 7–6 4–6 6–3 7–6, with the first set tiebreak lasting 36 points. He also holds the record for playing the most ties for Pakistan in the Davis Cup, and has the best doubles partnership, with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi is a professional tennis player from Pakistan. He is currently Pakistan's top player. A top 10 doubles player, his highest Singles Race ranking is 103rd and is the former Asian No. 3...

, for Pakistan.

His younger brother is Jalil Khan, the Pakistan number 3 and Davis Cupper. He also has another youth tennis playing brother called Yasir Khan.

Aqeel Khan began playing tennis at the age of 9, whilst attending school in Karachi to avoid doing duties as a ball boy
Ball Boy
Ball Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...

. He began playing junior tennis in 1993 at the Pakistan International Junior Championships.

He turned pro in 1998 and played his first Davis Cup match in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

, Pakistan, beating Sanjeev Tikaram of Pacific Oceania
Pacific Oceania Davis Cup team
The Pacific Oceania Davis Cup team represents the island nations in Oceania in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Oceania Tennis Federation....

, 6–1 6–3.
In 2002, at the Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...

, he reached the second round in the singles, doubles and team events. In 2004, he made it to the final of the ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...

 India 1 Satellite Masters tournament in Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...

. He then went on to win two of the three legs of the ITF Satellite Championship in Pakistan, and finished off by winning the Pakistan Satellite Masters in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

. He won a singles Futures tournament in Hyderabad, India, and also won the Indian DSCL National tennis championship in New Delhi. Aqeel also won a doubles Satellite title in Pakistan.

In 2005 he won a Satellite title in India and twice made it into the finals. Aqeel Khan also got to two doubles Futures Finals in Iran. He won Bronze in the Tennis singles event at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 2005, where he also won Gold with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi is a professional tennis player from Pakistan. He is currently Pakistan's top player. A top 10 doubles player, his highest Singles Race ranking is 103rd and is the former Asian No. 3...

 in the doubles, and Gold in team event.

He also won a Satellite in India in 2006. In the doubles, he also won the India 2 Masters satellite in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

. In the first Indo-Pak tennis series, he and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi were beaten in the 5 rubber tournament 3–2. At the 2006 Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...

, he reached the second round in singles, and paired with Qureshi, he reached the quarter-finals, losing to eventual winners and first seeds Leander Paes
Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes, pronounced pās, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament...

 and Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament...

 6–2 6–4.

In 2007, Aqeel Khan won a futures tournament in Ludhiana, India. He represented Pakistan at the Asian tennis championship in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...

, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

, seeded sixth, but lost in the second round. In the doubles he partnered Indian Aditya Madkekar, but was knocked out at the quarter-finals. He then went on to win his second futures title of the year at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Pakistan.

In 2008 Aqeel Khan was called up the Pakistan Davis Cup squad and prepared for the hectic Asia/Oceania Group III schedule. During the Davis Cup, he was inspired form, as Pakistan won each tie 3–0 to gain promotion back to Asia/Oceania Group II. He went to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, India to play in his first Challenger level tournament, however he was knocked out in both singles and doubles in the first round. Later in the year he reach a futures final in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, India but was defeated. In October, he made it to the doubles final in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Pakistan.

He returned to Davis Cup action in 2009, and won his rubber against Oman in the first round of the Asia/Oceania Group II. To get some match practice ahead of the Davis Cup match against the Philippines, Aqeel was sent to Malaysia to play in a futures tournament in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

. He reached the doubles final with Malaysian Yew-Ming Si, but were defeated by the first seeds. Without Aisam Qureshi, Pakistan went down in the Davis Cup 3-2 to the Philippines. Aisam's decision to play at an ATP tournament was criticised by Aqeel who felt they were let down by him.

After which opportunities for Aqeel to play aboard were few and far between, mostly being restricted to Davis Cup matches. In 2010, he helped Pakistan beat Hong Kong, only to lose to New Zealand 3-2 in the next round. He also took part in the Commonwealth Games were he reached the second round in the singles and the first round in the doubles. In the Asian Games, he was Pakistan's sole representative in tennis but could go no further than the second round.

In 2011, Pakistan once again beat Hong Kong in the first round of the Davis Cup, but lost 4-0 to South Korea to remain in Group II. Outside of playing tennis, he also coached Sri Lanka in 2011 for their Group III matches, who went on to win every match and gain promotion to Group II for 2012.

Singles titles

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (0)
Challengers (0)
Futures & Satellites (7)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. August 15, 2004   Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

Clay   Toshiaki Sakai 7–6(3) 7–6(5)
2. August 22, 2004   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Toshiaki Sakai 1–6 6–4 6–3
3. September 5, 2004   Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

Hard   Tommaso Sanna 6–3 6–4
4. September 12, 2004   Hyderabad Hard   Tai-Wei Liu 6–7(5) 6–1 6–1
5. August 20, 2006   Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Hard   Ravishankar Pathanjali 7–6(7) 6–4
6. August 12, 2007   Ludhiana Hard   Aditya Madkekar 6–3 7–6(5)
7. October 29, 2007   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan is a Indian professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 438 on 30 July 2007, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 172, on 3 October 2011.-Doubles :-External...

4–6 6–3 6–4

Singles Runner-up

Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (0)
Challengers (0)
Futures & Satellites (5)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. June 28, 2004   Gurgaon
Gurgaon
Gurgaon is the second largest city in the Indian state of Haryana. Gurgaon is the industrial and financial center of Haryana. It is located 30 km south of national capital New Delhi, about 10 kilometers from Dwarka Sub City and 268 km south of Chandigarh, the state capital...

Hard   Norikazu Sugiyama 6-1 3-6 4-6
2. August 16, 2004   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Toshiaki Sakai 4-6 6-7
3. August 17, 2006   Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Hard   Yuri Bezeruk 6-7 2-6
4. August 28, 2006   Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Hard   Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan is a Indian professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 438 on 30 July 2007, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 172, on 3 October 2011.-Doubles :-External...

5-7 4-6
5. September 8, 2008   New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

Hard   Peter Gojowczyk
Peter Gojowczyk
Peter Gojowczyk is a German tennis player playing on the ATP Challenger Tour. On November 21, 2011, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of 241 whilst his highest doubles ranking was 539 achieved on October 22, 2007.-External links:...

1-6 6-7

Doubles titles

Legend (Doubles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (0)
Challengers (0)
Futures & Satellites (2)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
1. September 5, 2004   Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

Hard   Vijay Kannan   Jaco Mathew &
  Atsufumi Yoshikawa
7–6(5) 6–4
2. September 3, 2006   Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Hard   Vishal Punna   Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan
Divij Sharan is a Indian professional tennis player. He competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 438 on 30 July 2007, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 172, on 3 October 2011.-Doubles :-External...

 &
  Naveep Singh
6–3 6–4

Doubles Runner-up

Legend (Doubles)
Grand Slam (0)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (0)
ATP Tour (0)
Challengers (0)
Futures & Satellites (7)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score
1. August 16, 2004   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Vijay Kannan   Mirko Pehar &
  Toshiaki Sakai
4-6 6-7
2. August 16, 2004   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Vijay Kannan   Mirko Pehar &
  Toshiaki Sakai
2-6 4-6
3. August 8, 2005   Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

Clay   Asaf Shafik   Benjamin Balleret
Benjamin Balleret
Benjamin Balleret is a professional tennis player on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.-Career:...

 &
  Clement Morel
2-6 5-7
4. August 15, 2005   Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

Clay   Asaf Shafik   Anoosha Shahgholi &
  Ashkan Shokoofil
4-6 4-6
5. October 29, 2007   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Grass   Sunil Kumar Sipaeya   Harshana Godamanne &
  Bart Govaerts
4-6 6-3 [6-10]
6. October 27, 2008   Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

Hard   Sunil Kumar Sipaeya   Hyun-Soo Lim &
  Rupesh Roy
7-6 4-6 [6-10]
7. June 29, 2009   Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

Hard   Yew-Ming Si   Tsung-Hua Yang &
  Xin-Yuan Yu
6-7 3-6

Doubles:

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Winner 1. 19 April 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games
Tennis at the 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games
Tennis at the 2005 Islamic Solidarity Games was held in Ta'if from April 12 to April 19, 2005.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-Singles:-Doubles:-Team:Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4Group 5...

, Ta'if, Saudi Arabia
Hard   Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi is a professional tennis player from Pakistan. He is currently Pakistan's top player. A top 10 doubles player, his highest Singles Race ranking is 103rd and is the former Asian No. 3...

  Prima Simpatiaji 
  Suwandi
7–6, 7–6

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK