Aisam-ul-Haq and Aqeel Khan in ITF Masters World Championship Final

Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi successfully defended his mixed doubles world title in Lisbon, beating Portugal’s top seeds 6-4, 6-3 to cap a tournament in which Pakistan won four medals at the ITF Masters World Championships.

One gold, two silvers and a bronze. For a country with almost no international tennis infrastructure, that haul from a single fortnight is the best account Pakistani tennis has given of itself in years.

Aisam’s Gold: A Title Defended, Not Just Won

Partnering Austria’s Nina Hermann in the 45+ mixed doubles, Aisam beat Portugal’s top-seeded pair, Fred Gil and Rita Freitas, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

Defending a world title is a different task from winning one. Everyone in the draw knew what Aisam and Hermann were capable of, including the top seeds standing across the net. They won anyway, in straight sets, against the pair the seedings said should have troubled them most.

This was Aisam’s second successive world crown in the category.

Silver in the 45+ Doubles: How Close It Was

Aisam and Aqeel Khan reached the men’s 45+ doubles final together and left with silver, beaten by France’s Jacques Glay and Jean-Baptiste Renault 1-6, 7-6, [10-7].

Read the set scores in order and the match makes no sense until you know how it happened. Pakistan won the first set 6-1, comfortable enough to suggest a routine final. France then somehow squared it in a second-set tiebreak, before edging the match tiebreak 10-7. Three points, across the two breakers, separated a Pakistani gold from a Pakistani silver.

The Run That Got Them There

Losing the final does not erase what came before it. Aisam and Aqeel’s route to that final included one of the results of the tournament: a quarter-final against Spain’s Francisco Javier Martínez Baena and Pedro Nieto Orellana in which they saved two match points before winning 6-7, 7-6, [10-2].

Saved two match points. Most pairs are already packing their bags at that stage of a match. Aisam and Aqeel won the next eight points that mattered.

Round	Opponents	Score
Quarter-final	Spain	6-7, 7-6, [10-2]
Semi-final	Ukraine	6-4, 7-6
Final	France	1-6, 7-6, [10-7]

They lost in the final to the same French pair who beat them for the title, having come through Spain and Ukraine to get there.

Aqeel’s Bronze, and the Team Silver

Aqeel Khan added a fourth medal to Pakistan’s tally, taking bronze in the 40+ mixed doubles alongside Germany’s Eileen Aranas-Roth, having reached the semi-final before losing to the eventual champions, Fred Gil and Freitas, the same Portuguese pair Aisam beat in his own final days later.

Pakistan’s medal count opened even earlier than the individual event. At the World Team Championships that preceded it, Pakistan won silver in the 45+ category, a result that set the tone for the fortnight that followed.

Pakistan’s Medal Haul in Lisbon

Medal	Event	Players
Gold	45+ Mixed Doubles	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi / Nina Hermann
Silver	45+ World Team Championships	Pakistan
Silver	Men’s 45+ Doubles	Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi / Aqeel Khan
Bronze	40+ Mixed Doubles	Aqeel Khan / Eileen Aranas-Roth

Why This Matters for Pakistan Tennis

Aisam remains the country’s most accomplished tennis player, a former world No. 8 in doubles who reached both the men’s and mixed doubles finals at the 2010 US Open. Aqeel has carried Pakistan’s Davis Cup singles workload for the better part of two decades.

Between them, they have been Pakistani tennis for twenty years, more or less by themselves. A tournament that ends with a defended world title, a second final, and two more medals besides is not a swan song. It is a reminder that the two players Pakistan has relied on the longest are still delivering when it counts.

About the ITF Masters World Championships

The ITF Masters World Championships are the global age-group championships for players over 30, run by the International Tennis Federation across five-year age brackets. The 2026 edition was held in Lisbon and Oeiras, Portugal, with the World Team Championships from 2 to 7 August followed by the Individual Championships from 8 to 15 August.

Aisam and Aqeel competed in the 45+ category throughout, in both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Aisam-ul-Haq win a medal at the ITF Masters World Championships 2026? Yes, gold. He defended his 45+ mixed doubles world title, partnering Austria’s Nina Hermann to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Portugal’s top seeds in the final.

How many medals did Pakistan win in Lisbon? Four: one gold, two silvers and a bronze, across the team and individual events.

Did Aisam and Aqeel win the men’s 45+ doubles? No. They reached the final and won silver, losing to France’s Jacques Glay and Jean-Baptiste Renault 1-6, 7-6, [10-7].

What medal did Aqeel Khan win? Bronze in the 40+ mixed doubles, partnering Germany’s Eileen Aranas-Roth. He also won silver in the men’s 45+ doubles alongside Aisam.

Where was the tournament held? Lisbon and Oeiras, Portugal, from 2 to 15 August 2026.