It is a thrilling sight to watch the veteran Andre Agassi racing from corner to corner, dashing forward to dispose of the drop-shots and the flow of his rival's play with aplomb.
The women front-rankers are falling as also advancing. Lindsay Devaoport and Capriati are showing fierce determination and refined strokes to prove that they are not behind the men in agility, sliced shots and mental resilience. The Williams sisters' ouster came as a nine-day wonder.
The Russian challenge too, as in the French Open and Wimbledon, is getting stiffer. They are picking up the gauntlet even though the All-England female champion, Maria Sharapova, was thrown out by Mary Pierce in a stunning exit in the third round.
Sharapova had the hold of the match when she took the first set but the veteran French campaigner came back strongly in the second and third sets to press the Russian girl hard and run away with an unexpected victory.
Karachi was not denied the opportunity to stage a quality competition. It was the ITF Satellite Masters tennis, played on the cemented courts of Karachi Gymkhana. Much in accord with the seedings Aqeel Khan, a Pakistani Davis Cupper, wrapped the draw of the matches, edging out rivals, mostly foreigners with rugged aplomb.
Aqeel's nerves were tested in the quarter-final duel against India's Vijay Kannan. It took time for the Pakistani Davis Cupper to settle down after the loss of the first set. Yet with precise footwork, quick court coverage and compact strokes he overhauled the Indian, a doubles partner of Aqeel, to make his entry into the pre-final.
To the joy of the local fans Aqeel cruised into the final without lifting his racket as the American semi-finalist, Mirko Pehar, failed to turn up and gave a walkover to his opponent.
From the other half, Tommaso Sanna of Italy came to the final to measure strength with Aqeel. Both the racket wielders banked on their sharp first service. However, aggressive approach, with a deft touch, won Aqeel the day and the singles crown.
Partnering with Indian Vijay Kannan, Aqeel toppled the pair of India's Jaco Mathew and Japan's Atsufumi Yoshikawa in straight sets to grab the top honours in the doubles.
It was Aqeel's third success in the ITF satellite contest after triumphs in Islamabad and Lahore with one loss at the Bagh-i-Jinnah. The admirers of Aqeel cheered him at all the three sporting centres. It was a step to his international march to a higher ranking. At present he is put below 550. After thrice winning accolades he is sure to cross many hurdles and ascend the ladder several stairs up. The Pakistani will gain considerable experience to tackle international opposition. His progress with be keenly watched while facing talented players in the Indian cities of Hyderabad and New Delhi where hopefully he will be on a stable base after the wins in Pakistan.
The roaring success of Aqeel will put him in the right frame of mind in the Davis Cup play off against New Zealand. A clay court will make the visitors uncomfortable but the Pakistani quartet should hit disciplined shots and try controlled first service to punch through the feared relegation barrier. No erratic game and play upto the potential with least of risk. The Satellite contest may prove a good warm-up for Aqeel.
Perhaps Pakistan should again be taken as favourite. It is not yet confirmed if Aisamul Haq is available to beef up the side after having got a high presidential award.