Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 23: The two-day ‘Decathlon Chillai-Kalan Tennis Carnival-2023’ kicked off today at Gindun Stadium, Rajbagh, witnessing immense participation amid bone-chilling cold.
The first day of the Carnival began at around 9 in the morning with the participants, including youngsters as well as elderly players, seen eagerly waiting for the matches to start.
Throughout the day, with Excelsior—the media partner for the event—ensuring live streaming, nearly 15 matches were played while around 13 teams were registered as participants for the tournament.
In the first match, Fayaz Bukhari and Dr Naveed Khan beat Dr Muneer Khan and Javaid Ahmad, in the second match, Sajad Ahmad and Rouf Ahmad beat Shahjahan Khan and Amrit Pal Singh, Asif Ahmad and Talat beat Fayaz Bukhari and Dr Naveed Khan in the third match, Gurmeet Singh and Irfan Bhat beat Shahjahan Khan and Amrit Pal Singh in the fourth match, and Inayat Jehangir and Dilbagh Singh beat Usman and Qais in the fifth match.
Similarly, Jameel and Samil beat Asif and Danish in the sixth match, Rakesh and Rao beat Asif and Danish in the seventh match, Joy and Vikrant beat Usman and Qais in the eighth match, Asif and Talat beat Abhiram and Rajiv in the ninth match, Sajad and Rouf beat Gurmeet and Irfan in the tenth match, Abhiram and Rajiv beat Dr. Muneer and Javaid in the eleventh match, Imtiyaz and Dilbagh Joy and Vikrant in the twelfth match, Fayaz and Nadeem beat Abiram and partner in the thirteenth match, and Jameel and Sameer beat Rakesh and Rao in the last match.
It is noteworthy that the tournament is being organized by the Kashmir Tennis Academy in association with J&K Sports Council.
The organizers stated that on day 2 of the tournament, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final will be played, and the closing ceremony will be attended by the Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Sarmad Hafeez.
Players, while appreciating the initiative of holding the tennis carnival in Chillai-Kalan, lauded the organizers and expressed the hope that more such events should be held in the future.
Inayat Jehangir, who was the winner of the last Tennis tournament held earlier this year, lauded the initiative of the Kashmir Tennis Academy for conducting the tournament. He said such tournaments will help in promotion of lawn tennis in Kashmir.
Abhiram, one of the players, said, “It is a nice initiative taken by the organizers to promote the game; I wish them all the best.”
Another participant, Asif, expressed his passion, stating that he has been enjoying the event since the morning and emphasized, “We are here to win this tournament, and we will make sure that we do.”
An organizer from the Sports Council, while providing details about the event, mentioned that 13 teams have registered their participation, ranging from 20 years to 60 years.
“We wanted to show that even in the winters, we can play the game. We have been playing here even in minus temperatures, which shows the enthusiasm.”
Another player, Dr. Naveed Khan, also hailed the conduct of the event while noting that despite having a huge potential for the game, the necessary facilities are lacking.
“It is a great initiative taken by the stakeholders. We have been playing here regularly for the last several years. The facilities need to be ramped up. There is potential, but the facilities are lacking,” he said.
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