ISLAMABAD: Aspiring Pakistani tennis player Zainab Ali Naqvi, who was participating in the ongoing junior ITF tournaments at the SDA-PTF complex Islamabad, has died, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) announced on Tuesday. “Zainab, a young tennis player who had come to Islamabad from Karachi to participate in ITF junior tournaments, passed away yesterday evening (February 12) in Islamabad,” PTF said in a press release.
A PTF official told that Zainab, who was staying in Islamabad at her maternal grandmother’s house, was taking a bath after the match performance but was found dead in the washroom after 30 minutes. “She was a healthy athlete and as far as I know she had no health problems. She probably died due to showering and dousing her head shortly after the match was played,” a PTF official from Karachi told over phone. 17-year-old Zainab was rushed to a nearby hospital, but doctors said she died before she got there.
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“Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, PTF President, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, former PTF President, PTF Council members and the tennis fraternity extend their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. “May Allah bless the departed soul with eternal peace in heaven.” According to the PTF, Tuesday’s ITF junior matches were postponed as a mark of respect for Zainab’s memory. The match is played on Wednesday according to the same schedule. “On Tuesday, a joint prayer was offered and a minute’s silence was observed by all foreign and Pakistani players, parents, coaches and PTF officials and staff.”
