July 30, 2003	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 29, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, July 29: National Under-18 trials for Davis Cup tennis tie against South Korea commenced here at PTF Complex clay courts on Tuesday.

Up to eight players figured in the trials from which two juniors will qualify for the national training camp to be set up at Lahore next month in preparation of Sept. 19-21 tie against South Korea.

The loser of that tie, to be played at grass courts of Defence Club in Lahore, will revert to Group-II of Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone.

Four matches were played on the opening day of the trials which will continue till Sunday.

For these trial matches, for which the players have been divided into two groups, Akbar Pataudi beat Shahrukh Niazi, Shahid Afridi beat Babar Ali Khan, Wasif Cheema defeated Munir Ashiq and Muteeb Pasha had the better of Tanvir Ashiq.

Up to eight players will be called to the Davis Cup training camp, including the two to be selected from these trials.

Six of the players were invited to the Under-18 trials on the basis of their national under-18 rankings while another two—Shahrukh and Tanvir —were taken from the invitational national junior tournament played on the conclusion of a month-long national under-16 summer training camp at PTF complex.

Umer beat Shahrukh in the final of junior invitational tournament on Monday but opted out of the trials, leaving Pakistan Tennis Federaion to take Tanvir in his place.—APP