March 31, 2008	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 22, 1429

KARACHI, March 30: Pakistan’s top tennis player Aqeel Khan said on Sunday he was in fine trim after a month-long exposure in India and will deliver the goods in the Davis Cup ties starting April 9 in Tehran.

“The trip enabled me to gain the required match fitness by featuring in three of the four legs of ITF Futures tournaments across the border,” Aqeel, who returned home the other day told Dawn.

The Davis Cupper said he lost in the first round in singles at Delhi and Mumbai while at Gurgoan he made it to the quarter-finals in the singles and semi-finals in doubles with an Indian partner.

“I had to skip the last leg at Chundigarh in order to return home to join the Tehran-bound Pakistan squad,” he said.

Aqeel, who was exempted from selection trials by the PTF, is set to join the camp in Islamabad on Monday.

Similarly, Aisamul Haq, who was also exempted, is expected to accompany the squad.

The two other members selected in the team include Asim Shafik and Jibran Mohammadi.

According to information, the national team is due to fly to Tehran from Lahore on Friday where the Asia Oceania zone group III ties involving eight nations will be staged from April 9 to 13 on clay courts on a round-robin basis.

Other countries competing are Iran, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.