Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan led the fist day of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-II final against Thailand 2-0. played at the grass courts of Pakistan Sports Complex here Friday. In the first match, which lasted for an hour and 46 minutes, Pakistan’s Aqeel Khan defeated Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul of Thailand 3-0 (6-3, 6-4, 6-4). In the second match, Aisamul Haq outclassed Thailand’s Kittiphong Wachiramanowong 3-0 (6-1, 6-0, 6-4). Pakistan were finally able to enjoy home advantage after 12 years as the Davis Cup returned to Pakistan. Aisam and Aqeel, the most seasoned players in the squad, had been forced to play their ties on opponents’ turf or on a neutral venue because of the security concerns forwarded by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) that would not allow foreign players to visit the country. Capitalising on the advantage, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) chose grass as the surface for the matches, which Aisam thinks was a good strategy as it gave the home team an edge.

Speaking to media after the end of the matches, Aisam said he wasn’t expecting such an easy contest against his Thai counterpart. “We had a huge advantage playing on the grass court, but it would have been a tougher competition if we had played on clay,” he said. “Wachiramanowong played well and it was a good match,” said Aisam. “My strategy was to keep the points short. I wasn’t expecting it to be a three-setter, but it was a good match. Aqeel also played well against their top seed in the first match.”

Aqeel said the duo was under pressure because of the home crowd but they played positively and won their matches.

Aisam added that it wasd a great achievement for Pakistan to host the ties again and his stand against New Zealand last year seems to have paid off. Aisam had refused to play the tie in New Zealand in the Group II final as a protest that team Pakistan deserves a chance of a home-advantage. Pakistan and Thailand have played each other eight times previously and Pakistan won on four occasions. Aqeel and Aisam are on the roster to play the doubles rubber on day two.

Published in Daily Times, September 16^th 2017.