Paes opts out of Davis Cup singles

Indian tennis captain Leander Paes on Thursday sprung a surprise by opting out of the singles and fielding youngsters Harsh Mankad and Prakash Amritraj in the Asia-Oceania group I Davis Cup tie against China beginning in New Delhi on Friday.

Mankad will open the Indian challenge against Sun Peng in the first singles while Amritraj will take on left-handed Wang Yu in the second singles match, according to the draw made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence this morning.

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In the reverse singles on Sunday, Prakash Amritraj will take on Sun Peng while the final match will be played between Harsh Mankad and Wang Yu.