Ushna Suhail got Pakistan off to a perfect start, winning her singles match 6-3, 6-1 against Roshenka Fernando. However, Saba Aziz lost 6-4, 7-5 to Thisuri Molligoda to leave the tie hanging before the same Sri Lankan pair beat Suhail and Sara Mansoor 6-4, 7-5 to seal the result.
Pakistan, who are placed in Pool A of the Asia/Oceania Zone Group II along with Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka, will now take on Oman in a seventh-place playoff today. The event, which features 10 teams divided in two groups, will see Hong Kong and India contest the final after topping their respective groups.
Pakistan coach Mohammad Khalid Siddiq was pleased with the team performance, given the lack of international exposure.
“The important thing is persistence and continuation — the result isn’t as bad as it looks,” Siddiq told The Express Tribune. “Our players have grown in confidence. They played good tennis against Sri Lanka and Suhail has been in a good form.
“It’s important to continue our participation in this event because this is just the second time that our girls have participated in the last 12 years.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2012.
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