Islamabad: The Pakistan Tennis Federation has announced the selection of the national Davis Cup Juniors team for the upcoming international competition in Kazakhstan.

The Davis Cup Juniors event is scheduled to take place in Shymkent from May 16th to 24th, 2026.

Trials to finalize the squad were held at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad from March 30th to April 2nd. A total of twelve players participated in the selection process, shortlisted based on their recent performances and national rankings.

Notably, Abubakar Talha was granted direct selection and exempted from trials in recognition of his outstanding recent performance.

Following the trials, the selected squad includes: Abubakar Talha, Hassan Usmani, and Zohaib Afzal Malik.

President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, along with Secretary General Col. Zia-ud-din Tufail and other officials, congratulated the selected players and extended their best wishes for success in the tournament.

The federation expressed confidence that the young team will represent Pakistan with determination and excellence on the international stage.

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn was involved in a terrifying car crash on Wednesday night hours after he delivered a walk-off hit against the New York Mets.

Winn’s vehicle appeared to slip on “wet pavement” as he was driving on Interstate 64, the team said in a statement, via FOX 2 Now. He was the only person involved in the crash.

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“We are grateful that he is OK, and thank the first responders in our community who helped Masyn tonight,” the Cardinals said.

The Cardinals added that he was the only person in the vehicle when the crash occurred and was helped by police, team security and medical staff. He was taken to a hospital and did not suffer any injuries.

The scary moment came after he helped the Cardinals to a win over the Mets in the 11th inning. Winn singled home the game-winning run as St. Louis picked up the 2-1 win.

St. Louis Cardnial’s Masyn Winn tosses his bat after striking out during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/LG Patterson)

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“It wasn’t the best swing,” Winn said after the game, via MLB.com. “But I was just trying to get to first base, just in case.”

The Gold Glover was 1-for-4 in the game. He’s batting .160 with four hits and two runs scored through six games this season.

St. Louis tied the game in the sixth inning thanks to a Nolan Gorman RBI. Then, Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo was able to keep the Mets at bay as he pitched out of a jam in the top of the 11th inning.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Masyn Winn throws out a runner during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/LG Patterson)

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New York got their lone run from a Juan Soto home run after Francisco Lindor was picked off at first base.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Italy’s sports minister has called on the country’s soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina to resign after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup on Tuesday.

Italy‘s penalty shootout loss to 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoffs comes after the Azzurri were eliminated at the same stage by Sweden ahead of the 2018 World Cup and by North Macedonia in 2022.

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“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC.”

Gravina is still holding onto his job after also surviving the qualifying elimination for the 2022 World Cup.

“Next week we will make much deeper reflections on the situation,” Gravina said, hinting that he could call for a new election for the country’s top soccer position. “There are a lot of evaluations to consider.”

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has also yet to give any indication about his own future after taking over when Luciano Spalletti was fired after Italy lost its opening qualifier to Norway last year.

“I’m not interested at all in talking about my future today,” Gattuso said following the loss in Bosnia. “It hurts, it really hurts. More than hurting me, it hurts to see this group which has really given everything in these months and I think we deserved to get back what we put in and I honestly think it’s too reductive and too immature to be talking about my future today.”

Gattuso was given a contract until the end of this summer’s World Cup, with an automatic renewal until 2028 if Italy reached the tournament in North America.

Even if Gattuso hasn’t made up his mind whether to stay or not, the Italian soccer federation gave a clear sign it would like him to remain on Tuesday.

“I have to praise Gattuso. I think he’s been a great coach, he is a great coach, I’ve asked him to stay on in charge of these players,” Gravina said.

The issues in Italian soccer extend beyond the national team.

The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010; while in this season’s continental competition, all four Italian clubs were eliminated before the quarterfinals.

Added former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi: “Unfortunately the third consecutive elimination from the World Cup is not an April Fool’s joke. It’s a sign that Italian soccer has failed. Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.