India to open against Pakistan in Junior Davis Cup
by Kapil Khera
Slotted with top-seed Australia, the host will aim to make the World Group
Host India has been seeded seventh and finds itself in the same group as top seed Australia, Pakistan and Indonesia, in the Asia-Oceania Junior Davis Cup under-16 boys’ tennis to be played at the DLTA Complex from Monday.
India, which strengthened itself with the last minute inclusion of Bushan Haobam, ranked 259 in the world under-18 list, opens its campaign against Pakistan on Monday.
With 166th ranked Rushil Khosla and Debasis Sahoo as other members, India will try to win one of the three spots from the zone for the World Group.
India’s first target would be to qualify for the knock-out stage from the group. The top two teams from each of the four groups will make the quarterfinals.
Like in the girls’ event, the Junior Billie Jean King Cup, it will only be three teams that will qualify for the World Group stage from the Asia-Oceania zone.
The president of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), Kitsombat Euammongkol and vice president Iroda Tulyaganova, former women’s world No.16, were the guests of honour at the opening ceremony on Sunday.
The groupings: Group-A: Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India.
Group-B: Iran, Malaysia, Syria, Singapore.
Group-C: Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand.
Group-D: Japan, Uzbekistan, Korea, Hong Kong……
Source : The Hindu….