Asif Ismail
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Representing India
Ismail won the singles title in the national championship in 1993 defeating Vasudeva Reddy 3–6, 6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 8–6 in the final.[3]
Despite never winning a tour singles match above Satellite level , Ismail played two singles matches for India in a 1994 World Group Play-off tie against South Africa. He lost the two live rubbers both in straight sets, to South African No. 1 Wayne Ferreira and Marcos Ondruska.
The next month Ismail won the Asian Games tennis tournament.[citation needed] He reached his highest ATP singles ranking in December 1995, when he became World No. 412. His best tour result was reaching the quarter-finals of the Challenger event in Goa in late October 1995. He competed in the main draw of an ATP Tour event once, in doubles at the 1996 India Open. He and partner Gaurav Natekar, a wild-card entry, lost in the first round to the No. 1 seeds Byron Black and Sandon Stolle, 4-6, 5-7.
Ismail received the Arjuna award, the biggest sports-related award in India, in 1997.
Representing Hong Kong
Ismail represented Hong Kong in a 2003 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II tie versus Tajikistan. He played in 3 matches, winning his two live rubbers, as Hong Kong defeated Tajikistan 4-1. He again teamed with John Hui to compete in the doubles rubber the following year versus the Philippines in a group play-off tie, but the pair lost in straight sets as Hong Kong fell, 1-4.
