LAHORE: Pakistan’s latest tennis sensation Samir Iftikhar justified his selection for the Asian Tennis Federation’s High Performance Evaluation Camp by beating Indonesia’s David Agung in a three-set marathon in Bangkok, Thailand.
Samir outlasted Agung 6-7, 6-2, 10-2 in super tie-break of the round-robin stage match at the High Performance Evaluation Camp at the National Tennis Center Bangkok. The camp started on November 28 and will terminate on December 8. Samir lost the first set in the tie-break 6-7 and then made a magnificent comeback and displayed dazzling tennis to win the second set 6-2. The final set went into the super tie-break where Samir broke the experienced Indonesian’s serve and won 10-2.
Samir had earlier won two matches beating former top 80 Warit Sornbutnark and Kongpop Lertchai of Thailand and lost to world number 74 Viadic Munsshaw of India in a nail-biter 4-6, 6-2, 8-10. The ATF invited nine under-20 players from Asia for overall evaluation by reputed international coaches and physical trainers from USA, Argentina and Spain. Samir emerged on top after the conclusion of the fitness tests.
Samir’s father and former Davis Cupper Tayyab Iftikhar, who also accompanied Samir to Bangkok, praised the ATF for holding the camp. He said that the experience of this camp will help Samir prepare for his debut in future international ATP tournaments and Davis Cup competitions.
