LAHORE - Pakistan’s young tennis star Mikaeel Ali Baig earned double gold medals in Dushanbe when he won ATF Somoni Open U14 singles and doubles titles in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In singles final, Mikaeel had to face top South Korean player Siyun Kim, who he had lost just last week in a tight finals. Once again, the two faced each other in a finals showdown. The thriller started with Mikaeel very quickly gaining a strong lead and taking the first set at 6-3. In second set, however, Kim stepped up, changed his strategy and got the set from Mikaeel at 6-1. It all came down to the third set. Mikaeel was locked in and ready to take on the battle to the finish line. Kim was no match for Mikaeel’s aggressive game. The third set was over very fast as Mikaeel won at 6-0. In the doubles final, Mikaeel (Pakistan) and Siyun Kim (South Korea) were up against the duo of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The doubles match started off with both teams struggling to take the lead.
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The first set was tied at 6-6, but the opponents managed to grab the set from Mikaeel and Kim. In second set, Mikaeel/Kim fought back and won the set at 6-4, taking the match into a super tie-break. Mikaeel and Kim played the tie-break strong from the start and won at 10-4 to get their championship win. With back-to-back performances in ATF tournaments in Dushanbe, Mikaeel has made his mark and shown that his talent and desire to play for Pakistan should be considered seriously. While watching Mikaeel playing nationals in Karachi in January, Pakistan’s legend Aqeel Khan said, “Mikaeel is a very talented player. He should be playing U-18 and U-16 matches and should be given wildcard to be on national team. He would be a great asset to the Pakistan national team in juniors and has most potential to represent Pakistan in Davis Cup in the future.” Sharing his views, Mikaeel said, “I am humbly grateful for having won today two gold medals. I was here in Dushanbe with support of my parents, my mom is also my acting coach during the tournament and my dad who was unable to come with me on this trip due to work was daily talking to me and coaching me on the phone. “I have a lot of other people in USA and Pakistan such as Khalid Rehmani, Aisam Ul Haq, Rashid Malik, Coach Ronan, LAT Academy, Pakistan Army, Heath Cohen, Bodla Builders and many more in my corner. But I would appreciate more encouragement and true support from Pakistan Tennis Federation and private sector in form of sponsorships.
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“The financial burden is too great, but for players like me, our desire is to play globally for our country, however, we lack the much needed support that we should be getting. My plan is to continue to stay on my path and go for my goals, and I hope to win more laurels for my country in this process and to help those in need in Pakistan. In order to achieve all that I need sponsors and financial support. I will continue to train hard and stay focused as this is a long journey and I am just getting started,” Mikaeel concluded.