The hosts dominated day one with Pruchya Isarow downing Aisamul Haq Qureshi 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening match.
Samir Iftikhar replaced Aqeel Khan on the roster for the singles tie and suffered a 6-0, 6-4, 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Danai Udomchoke in the second match of the day.
As a result, Thailand lead the tie 2-0.
Pakistan’s most experienced former Davis Cupper, Hamedul Haq, predicted a tough time for the team in the final.
“It all depends on Aqeel,” Hamed told The Express Tribune. “If he doesn’t play any of the remaining singles, then we have no hope.
“The doubles rubber will be our game-changer. Aisam and Aqeel have been playing for the last 16 years together, they have developed a good partnership and their combination is deadly for the opponents.
“Apart from the doubles tie, I don’t see Pakistan winning the overall event. New players like Samir need time to reach Aqeel’s level, who has experience and is a genius at his game.”
Hamed also pointed out that Pakistan still depends on Aisam and Aqeel, as so far, the country has failed to produce a third reliable player for the Davis Cup.
Pakistan saw a similar situation in their last tie against the Philippines in April. The team picked up the pace on day two, with Aqeel and Aisam winning the doubles rubber. The pair also won its reverse singles rubbers on the last day to ensure victory in the semi-final in Manila.
Switzerland, France outplay opponents
Roger Federer defeated Simone Bolleli 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4 to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead over Italy in the Davis Cup semi-finals in Geneva on Friday.
Meanwhile, France were 2-0 up over the Czech Republic at the end of the first day in the other semi-final in Paris against the defending champions the Czech Republic.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 and Richard Gasquet defeated Czech number one Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening rubber.
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