Pakistan are wary of the tough challenge that South Korea will pose in the third round of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II encounter that takes place tomorrow but are hoping to turn the tables on the hosts to book a place in the final round.
A win will see Pakistan facing either Thailand or Indonesia in the final round as they bid for promotion to Group I next year. Team captain Mohammad Khalid was upbeat about Pakistan’s chances against South Korea.
“It’s a winnable tie for us,” Khalid told The Express Tribune from Korea, where the team is training. “The hosts will provide a tough contest, especially because of the home advantage.
“They do the fundamental things well but we’ve been here for some time and had extensive training sessions.
“Our aim is to go hard at them right from the start and never be complacent,” added Khalid. “We have both experienced and young players in our team but we will not be taking any chances and will go into the ties with our veterans Aqeel Khan and Aisamul Haq Qureshi.”
Pakistan’s four-man squad for the tie comprises the experienced duo of Aisam and Aqeel, along with stars Samir Iftikhar and Yasir Khan.
The encounter kicks off tomorrow with the first singles match scheduled to take place at the Gimcheon Total Sports Town Tennis Courts in Gimcheon.
‘We’ll be on our toes’
Meanwhile, Pakistan number one Aqeel admitted that the Koreans will be tough to beat.
“Playing against Korea is always tough, they are never easy competitors,” said Aqeel. “So I don’t think we can take them easy. Last time we played against them was in Lahore and I remember we had to fight hard to earn that victory.
“Conditions here are not as hot as in Pakistan. The opening day forecasts that we will be facing overcast conditions but the orgranisers have an option of playing indoors. We’re fit enough to cope with the conditions after our extensive training sessions.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ