Davis Cup campaign: Focus on doubles after 1-1 draw in singles

Aisam wins first match, Aqeel loses the second against Kuwait in first-round tie

KARACHI: After a 1-1 draw in Friday’s singles, Pakistan have pinned their hopes on winning the doubles rubber on Saturday in their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II first-round tie against Kuwait in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

ATP player Aisamul Haq Qureshi defeated his much younger opponent Naser alObaidly 6-1, 6-0, 6-2 as Pakistan led 1-0 after the opening match. However, Aqeel Khan lost to Muhammad Ghareeb 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 in the second singles rubber.

Pakistan’s non-playing captain and coach Rashid Malik praised Ghareeb for his performance against Aqeel. “It was an expected result,” Malik told The Express Tribune from Colombo. “We knew it would be difficult to defeat Ghareeb, who is one of the best players in this tie. He is as experienced as Aqeel and Aisam. However, I wasn’t expecting such a one-sided game.”

The former Davis Cupper has picked Aisam and Aqeel to play the all-important doubles rubber on Saturday, but said that he may change the line-up, which can be done until half an hour prior to the match.

“I’m thinking of giving Aqeel some rest, and use new player Abid Ali Akbar for the doubles tie because Aqeel is exhausted after this match, and Abid is good on clay. But we’ll be strategising that in the team meeting. For now, Aqeel and Aisam are on for Saturday.”

Malik added that he is far from worried about Aqeel’s loss. “Both players have lost the opening matches before and they bounced back to win three rubbers in a row,” he said.

Seppi levels for Italy against Kazakhstan

Andreas Seppi beat Andrey Golubev to put Italy level at 1-1 with hosts Kazakhstan in their World Group first-round tie in Almaty on Friday.

The 31-year-old Seppi won 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 in what was his first ever meeting with Golubev, the rubber lasting two hours 34 minutes on the hardcourts of the National Tennis Centre.

Earlier on Friday, Mikhail Kukushkin put Kazakhstan 1-0 up with a straight-set win over Simone Bolelli 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 6-2 in two hours 22 minutes. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March  7^th,  2015.

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