Islamabad
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has expressed profound grief over the demise of Khwaja Saeed Hai, a former Pakistan tennis great.
Saeed Hai passed away in Karachi after a protracted illness. He was 91. President of PTF Salim Saifullah Khan and the other office-bearers in a condolence message extended their heartfelt condolences to Saeed Hai’s family.
They prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul with eternal peace and grant courage to his family members to bear the irreparable loss with fortitude.
Born on 5th March 1930 in British India, Saeed was a former Pakistan No. 1 tennis player, and the first Pakistani to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam through qualifying matches.
He featured in the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships in 1955 and 1956 and reached the second round of the French Open. He also played in the U.S. Open in 1964 and played in the Davis Cup for Pakistan.
He studied at the Aligarh Muslim University where he honed his skills. In Wimbledon, he played men’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Apart from playing in the Davis Cup, he captained Pakistan’s Davis Cup team 32 times.
When the French Tennis Federation celebrated 100 years of the French Championship at Roland Garros, they built a commemorative wall, displaying the names of players who had done well during the championship which also included the name of Saeed Hai.—APP
