An American-Pakistani family is set to make history by sponsoring Pakistan’s first international women’s tennis tournament. The Junaid Family Foundation has confirmed its support for the World Tennis Women’s 15,000 Futures event that will take place in Islamabad from October 12 to 17.
Organisers describe the tournament as the first WT women’s competition ever hosted in the country. Around 40 international players are expected to travel to the capital and compete alongside rising Pakistani female athletes. The event is sanctioned by World Tennis and organised in partnership with the Pakistan Tennis Federation.
The foundation said the sponsorship forms part of its broader work on women’s empowerment, health and wellbeing. By supporting the tournament it aims to create an international platform that highlights the achievements of women athletes. The group already runs large-scale maternal and child nutrition programmes in Pakistan and sees this sports initiative as a natural extension of that mission.
Ansir Junaid, Chairman of the Junaid Family Foundation, explained the thinking behind the decision. He noted that investing in women’s health has always meant more than clinical work alone. The tournament, he said, allows the foundation to support world-class athletes while drawing attention to the health and wellbeing of women and girls across the country.
The October event will form part of a busy period for women’s tennis in Pakistan. Another Futures tournament is planned to follow, and the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania competition will also place women’s tennis in the spotlight. Title sponsorship by the foundation will link its development work with a landmark sporting occasion and help the tournament reach global tennis audiences.
Participation by roughly 40 overseas players will give local female athletes the rare chance to test themselves against international competition on home courts. Such exposure is expected to accelerate their development and raise the overall standard of the women’s game in the country.
The Junaid Family Foundation operates from Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States and runs programmes in Pakistan. Its focus areas include healthcare, education, equity and civic engagement. The organisation works to tackle generational poverty and open long-term opportunities, with women and children remaining central to its efforts.
This October tournament will bring international women’s tennis to Islamabad for the first time and give emerging Pakistani players a valuable stage on which to perform. Supporters hope the event marks the start of a stronger future for women’s sport in the country.
