High hopes from Samir as Pakistan head for Davis Cup

Iftikhar, whose world ranking has improved to 250th, looks to make his Davis Cup debut in Hong Kong.

LAHORE: Pakistan tennis players will leave for Hong Kong tonight to play their Davis Cup tie against the hosts on March 4.

Pakistan’s four-man squad for the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II tie comprises Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, who will represent the nation as its top players, while emerging star Samir Iftikhar will make his Davis Cup debut along with Yasir Khan, Pakistan’s fourth player for the event that starts next month.

“Hong Kong definitely have the home advantage but we are well-prepared,” Pakistan’s non-playing captain Mushaf Zia told The Express Tribune. “There is no doubt that we’re relying heavily on Aisam and Aqeel but we have a combination of experience and youth in the side and we hope to benefit from that.

“Although Aqeel didn’t get enough time to practice, we’re still satisfied with his overall preparation for the tournament.

“We also picked Iftikhar, our best player from the domestic circuit, as he’s fully capable of giving a tough time to any opponent.”

Zia, wary of the hosts’ top-ranked and experienced player Martin Sayer, is still optimistic that Pakistan will beat Hong Kong and face South Korea in the next round.

“They have Martin and Hiu-Tung but we also have Aisam and Aqeel, our veteran players in the line-up so we have a pretty good chance against them.”

Iftikhar, the future
prospect

Iftikhar, 18, has been selected for the squad after lengthy trials which he went through unbeaten, defeating all the top-seeded players in the domestic circuit.

“I think we finally got a quality player who is mentally prepared for top level games,” said Zia.

“He recently emerged as the fittest player in the squad after the endurance tests conducted by physical experts in Thailand. He’s capable of outplaying any tough competitor.”

Meanwhile, Iftikhar vowed to start the campaign on a high if given a chance to play against Hong Kong.

“I had tough training sessions and it would be a privilege for me to play in the Davis Cup,” he said.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be given a chance but I’m mentally prepared to take on any challenge. “

He improved his world ranking from 1300 to 250 in eight months by defeating top world ranked players from Europe, Russia and Asia.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2011.