PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan will play the crucial ‘home tie’ in Izmir, Turkey with hopes of progressing to Group I after nine years.
The team has a chance of taking down Chinese Taipei in the matches that begin from September 18 at the Ulusal Tenis Egitim Merkezi Tennis Club, and the squad will practice for a few days in Istanbul.
The national squad, which includes Aqeel Khan and Abid Ali Akbar along with team’s non-playing captain Hamedul Haq, will leave for Turkey on September 10.
“The Turkish Tennis Federation has offered our players the chance to practice with their top athletes in Istanbul,” Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) secretary Khalid Rehmani told The Express Tribune. “It’s a great opportunity. Our players will get the best practice available for this tie. It’s extremely crucial for us to win and enter Group I once again.
Rehmani said that holding the tie at a neutral venue is costing them approximately Rs4 million.
“We’ve taken this decision so that we can bring Chinese Taipei out of their comfort zone,” said the official. “We are sending our team a week before because we want them to get accustomed with the conditions and courts in Turkey.”
Rehmani added that both Aqeel and Akbar were provided two major events on the hard courts of the Pakistan Sports Board in Islamabad in order to prepare them for the tie.
Meanwhile, Aisamul Haq Qureshi will join the team in Turkey after his US Open campaign, and Samir Iftikhar will be will be with Aqeel and Akbar on September 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2015.
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