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       COLOMBO: Top seed Japan delivered a resounding defeat to Pakistan in the opening day of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Wheelchair Tennis Asian qualification event at the SLTA Sports Complex in Colombo on Wednesday.

       Asif Abbasi, ranked 184, faced a daunting challenge against Japan’s Takuya Miki, the current Paralympic silver medallist and world number nine. Miki’s superior skill was evident as he secured a comfortable 6-0, 6-1 victory. In the other match, Pakistan’s Fida Hussain also struggled against Japan’s Daisuke Arai, succumbing to a flawless 6-0, 6-0 defeat.

       In the doubles match, Fida and Ihsanullah were unable to stem the tide, falling to the Japanese pair 6-0, 6-2.

       Pakistan will now shift their focus to Thursday’s match against India, a rivalry that has seen mixed results in recent years. Pakistan triumphed over India in Antalya, Turkey, in 2022, but India reversed the outcome in Pattaya in 2023.

       Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025