Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi to Receive Star of Excellence Award

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

Pakistani tennis star Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi has been gathering momentum all year with his on-court success, and now that success is bearing fruit off of the court. Qureshi has now been named as a recipient of the Star of Excellence award from the Pakistani government. The announcement was made on August 14th, Pakistan’s Independence Day. He has been experiencing consistent success with doubles partner Rohan Bopanna of India, with two recent semifinal births, including a victory over the second-ranked doubles team in the world. They won their first tournament title in February, the SA Tennis Open in South Africa. And, the summer hit a crescendo with a quarterfinal finish at Wimbledon in June. As a result, Qureshi has seen his ATP World Men’s Doubles ranking ascend to number 35. He still has two more doubles tournaments to play before finishing his North American tour with the U.S. Open in New York in September. Perhaps the award is also being given because of Qureshi’s humanitarian work, which includes his involvement in the Monaco-based Peace and Sport Organization, whose mission is to use athletics as a means to promote harmony. Qureshi will receive the actual award, known as the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, during the Pakistan Day ceremony on March 23rd of next year. Qureshi previously received the Pride of Performance award in 2005.

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