Samir to take part in ranking tournaments

LAHORE: Pakistan’s future prospect and top-ranked junior tennis player Samir Iftikhar left Islamabad on a tour that will see him represent the country in India, Morocco and Turkey.

Iftikhar will take part in the ITF Enka Open G4, the ITF Indian Junior Open, and the Asian championships taking place in New Delhi at the end of this month. Iftikhar, who is Aisamul Haq’s cousin, will then proceed to Morocco to play the two ITF G3 events in June.

Seeded third at the Turkish Open by virtue of his world ranking, Iftikhar will play in the main round of the Elite G2/B1 events where he will be pitted against the top 100 junior tennis players from Asia. “I’ve trained very hard for the past few weeks under the supervision of Zulfiqar Rahim and will try my best to perform and beat the Indians on their soil,” he said prior to his departure.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 13th, 2010.