File photo of Aisamul Haq Qureshi. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
KARACHI:
Aisamul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan won their doubles match against Harahan Godamanna and Rajeev Rajapakse 6-2, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a two and a half hour thriller in Colombo to give Pakistan a 2-1 lead over Sri Lanka in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone group II tie.
Pakistan began their first round in the Davis Cup with a win with Aqeel defeating Dineshkanthan Thangarajah, while Aisam lost against Godamanna on Friday as the score remained 1-1.
However, they picked up the pace and managed to win the all-important doubles match yesterday.
The players will go head-to-head in the reverse singles match as Aqeel will take on Godamanna and Aisam will play Thangarajah today.
“It’s going to be a crucial match and we are pinning a lot of hope on Aisam,” Aqeel told The Express Tribune from Colombo. “Godamanna is an excellent athlete, who has been their top player for a while now, so it’s going to be a tough match for me as well.
“Thangarajah is very competitive too but Aisam has a lot of experience. Not only does he have a very good technique but years of experience to back that up as well. We are trying very hard to come out as the winners here. It’s a tough surface and the level of competition is very high. We will give it our all.”
Pakistan have won all of their five previous ties against Sri Lanka. If they win, they will progress into the next round where they will face New Zealand in April.
“We just need one more win in the remaining two matches. The aim is to win for the country and progress in the Davis Cup. We have stayed in group II for too long now and it’s high time we progressed,” said Aqeel.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2013.
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