The Kuwait ambassador to Pakistan received the national women’s tennis delegation during a reception that underscored diplomatic backing for the squad’s debut in the senior international competition, according to coverage from Pakistani sports outlets. Abdul Redha J. Al-Ghareeb, president of the Kuwait Tennis Federation, headed the visiting group that features players Huda Al-Dabbous and Samou Al-Dabbous plus coach Sarah Behbehani. The Kuwait Tennis Federation described the participation as a milestone that builds on its junior team entry in 2025 and advances efforts to grow the women’s game domestically.
Pakistan Tennis Federation officials joined the welcome for the Kuwaiti side, which followed arrivals by teams from the Maldives and Iran, the Pakistan Tennis Federation reported. The four-day Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group III event runs from October 21 to 24 at the PTF Tennis Complex on Garden Avenue in Islamabad and includes eight participating nations. Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, president of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, hosted a captains’ meeting, official draw and trophy reveal at the Mövenpick Hotel on October 20 where he welcomed all delegations and thanked the international governing body for selecting Pakistan as host for the first time.
Qureshi noted that the championship offers regional players a platform to compete internationally while advancing women’s tennis development across the area, the Pakistan Tennis Federation stated. The eight countries competing are Bahrain, Bhutan, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Pakistan and Qatar, according to the federation’s published list. Additional delegations from Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar reached the capital in subsequent days and received similar greetings from PTF leadership including Secretary General Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail.
Al-Ghareeb expressed hope that the Kuwaiti players would extract maximum benefit from this inaugural senior appearance in Kuwait tennis history, the Kuwait Tennis Federation said in its assessment of the trip. He also extended appreciation to the Public Authority for Youth and Sports for its consistent backing of national teams in major international events. The federation indicated that continued involvement in such competitions remains a core objective moving forward.
The tournament arrives weeks after Pakistan staged its first W15-level women’s futures event in early October, which assembled 30 players from 17 countries and territories, local media outlets reported. United States Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker attended the closing ceremony of that tournament and praised its role in strengthening sports diplomacy, according to accounts published by The Nation. Organizers at the Pakistan Tennis Federation have coordinated logistics to support all visiting teams and officials throughout the Billie Jean King Cup competition.
