Iran Beat Pakistan 2-0 in BJK Cup Final
Iran beat Pakistan 2-0 in the BJK Cup final to win the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group III (B) title in Islamabad on Saturday. The visitors sealed the championship at the Pakistan Tennis Federation Tennis Complex, ending the hosts’ run at the final hurdle.
Yasaman Yazdani gave Iran the lead with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Ushna Suhail in the opening singles tie. Meshkatolzahra Safi then closed out the title by beating Mahin Aftab Qureshi 6-4, 6-4 in the second singles tie. With both singles ties decided, the doubles tie was not needed to settle the final.
Pakistan reached the final as hosts, but Iran stayed in control throughout, winning both singles ties in straight sets.
How the BJK Cup final played out
Yazdani set the tone in the first tie. She took the first set 6-3 against Suhail and held her nerve in the second, closing it 6-4. Safi then faced Qureshi with the title on the line and produced the same scoreline, 6-4, 6-4, to make the result certain.
The final positions behind the top two were settled earlier in the day. Jordan finished third after beating Maldives 2-0. Anna Abualhaj defeated Nayara Usama Ali 7-6(7/4), 6-4, while Noor Sayej overcame Aishath Karin Saizan 6-3, 6-7(7/4), 6-0.
Qatar took fifth place with a 2-0 win over Bhutan. Khadija Gassama beat Kinley Yangden 6-3, 6-0, and Hind Almudahka downed Tenzin Wangsel Lhaden 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Kuwait were awarded a walkover against Bahrain in the seventh-eighth position match.
Pakistan’s road to the BJK Cup final
Pakistan earned their place in the final with a hard-fought 2-1 win over top seeds Maldives in Group A. Ushna Suhail beat Keyara Usama 6-2, 6-3, and Mahin Aftab Qureshi sealed the tie by beating Aishath Karin Saizan 6-1, 6-0. Maldives took the doubles tie, but Pakistan already had the two wins they needed.
Iran reached the final in even more commanding form. They swept Qatar 3-0 in Group B without dropping a set. Yazdani beat Dana Khalifa 6-0, 6-0, Kimia Sagheb Tehrani beat Mubaraka Al Naimi 6-2, 6-1, and Safi and Hana Soltani won the doubles 6-2, 7-6(2).
The closing ceremony drew senior guests to the PTF complex. Syeda Amana Batool, a member of the National Assembly, attended as chief guest, while Pakistan Tennis Federation president Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi attended as guest of honour. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam, also visited the complex, met the Iranian team and watched the matches.
Qureshi congratulated the Iranian team on winning the championship and praised the Pakistan team for a strong fight in the final. He also welcomed the successful organisation of the event in Pakistan for the first time, calling it an important milestone for international women’s tennis in the country.
The championship marked the first time Pakistan hosted the event, and the hosts’ run to the final gave home fans a title match to follow all week.
Pakistan’s junior hockey team also reached a final this month, before losing a shootout to Malaysia, while the senior side had earlier booked their own final place. In football, Pakistan’s under-15 team lost 4-2 to Gambia on their World Cup debut in Baku, and Rybakina reached the Ningbo final. The BJK Cup final adds another near miss for a Pakistan team playing at home.
What comes next for Pakistan tennis
The defeat will sting, but the week still moved Pakistan women’s tennis forward. Hosting a regional championship for the first time, reaching the final, and playing in front of home crowds all count as progress for a programme that rarely gets that stage.
For Suhail and Qureshi, the final showed both promise and the gap to close: neither took a set off an Iranian side that had not dropped a set in its group tie either.
The next step is to turn a home final into regular results away from home. If the PTF can keep this group together and add match experience, the next edition of the competition is where this final should pay off.
Who won the BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group III final?
Iran beat Pakistan 2-0 in the final at the Pakistan Tennis Federation Tennis Complex in Islamabad on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
What were the scores in the final?
Yasaman Yazdani beat Ushna Suhail 6-3, 6-4, and Meshkatolzahra Safi beat Mahin Aftab Qureshi 6-4, 6-4.
How did Pakistan reach the final?
Pakistan beat top seeds Maldives 2-1 in Group A, with singles wins from Ushna Suhail and Mahin Aftab Qureshi.
