Pakistan serve up teens for Indian tie
After senior players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan pulled out of their Davis Cup tie against India, Pakistan named two 17-year-olds in their squad.
Kamil, also teenagers, along with Amjad complete the squad.
With Pakistan’s top players Aisam and Aqeel pulling out of the tie in protest against shifting out of matches to a neutral venue, the PTF was left with no option but to pick junior players.
“It could have been a good tie but for India. We are sending junior players. Our senior Davis Cup team is not coming. We are sending our junior Davis Cup team. They are all 1617 years old and will gain some experience,” PTF President Salim Saifullah Khan said.
“India wanted to win this tie, so now they can win this tie easily. Everyday hundreds of Indians are coming to Pakistan. Our hotels in Islamabad are full of Indians but the six Indian players can’t come. It’s a shame,” Khan added.
In the last tie, Pakistan hosted against Uzbekistan in April 2018, apart from Aqeel and Aisam, Muzammil Murtaza, Heera Ashiq and Shahzad Khan were part of the squad, which had lost 0-4. In the same year, Pakistan had beaten Korea 4-0 at home.
NADAL PRAISES HOME
CROWD POST WIN Meanwhile in Madrid, Rafael Nadal instigated a Spanish comeback against Russia in the Davis Cup on Tuesday by capitalising on a raucous home crowd to beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
Nadal, who will finish the year as world number one, came through a second-set tie-break to defeat Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) and level the Group ‘B’ match.
Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez then won the deciding doubles rubber 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) against Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, who had earlier given Russia the lead with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) win over Roberto Bautista Agut.
A new format this year means the Davis Cup takes place in one venue, across a single week, with organisers — among them Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique — hoping a tighter schedule will revitalise the prestigious trophy.
The three stadiums at
The Pakistan Tennis Federation picked teenagers Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Shoaib Khan, both of whom are ranked as lowly as 446 and 1004 respectively in the junior ITF ranking list.
the Caja Magica were all far from full for Tuesday’s early matches but Nadal enjoyed a bumper crowd of local fans for his hardfought contest in the evening.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” said Nadal.
Asked about the success of the competition so far, he added: “It is difficult to answer today. Let me wait until the tournament is over to have a clear and better opinion.”
The last doubles match finished at just before 2:00 am, with Spain due to be back in action against Croatia on Wednesday afternoon. “The only negative in my opinion is we are just starting the last match and it’s 12.45am,” Nadal said ahead of the doubles.