Abdul Jabbar Faisal
ISLAMABAD: Aisam ul Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan overcame 2-1 Indonesia duo of brothers David Susanto and Anthony Susanto in the Doubles discipline of the Davis Cup World Group-II Tennis Tie here at the grass court of the Aisam-ul-Haq Tennis Pavilion, Pakistan Sports Complex on Sunday. The final score-line of 3-6, 7-5, and 6-2.
After winning the toss, skipper Aisam decided to choose a side instead of taking the advantage of serve because he wanted the sun on his back. Indonesian players started the game by hitting a powerful drive from down the line and finished the first game after conceding only 2 points. Asiam and Aqeel did not allow their opponents to get a single point in the second game. Score was levelled at 1-1, and 2-2. Visitors players succeeded to break serve in the 6th game of the first set, as the game was even, after getting the advantage, they claimed the game and made the set score 4-2. David Susanto, and Anthony Susanto maintained their serves in the 7th game and 9th game to earn 1-0 lead in the crucial tie.
In the second set, Pakistan won the first game quite easily and there was a nail and bite contest in the second game, as local players missed a couple of occasions to break the game. The set went up neck-to-neck till 5-5, as no one could break the serve. Aqeel and Aisam fought brilliantly in the 12 game and toiled hard on the court to break the game. Finally, Pakistan squared the match 1-1 after breaking the 12th game despite wasting two set points.
After bouncing back in the match, Aisam and Aqeel showed aggregation in the final set that they claimed 6-2 by hitting beautiful forehand and backhand drives with classic drop-shorts. They broke the serves in the 4th and 8th game to win the set at 6-2, as the final score-line was 3-6, 7-5, and 6-2. In another match, Mohammad Shoaib beat Gunawan Trismuwantara 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the reverse singles, to give Pakistan a clean sweep.
Aisam ul Haq said: “I am happy with the victory, I and Aqeel work hard on the court to overcome rivals. After losing the first set, we changed our strategy and hit some good winners to achieve the goal of victory. We had an edge of grass surface but the hot weather and conditions levelled the field for the both teams. We were well experienced in the grass. However, we worked hard and collected a big win for our country Pakistan.”
Aqeel Khan said: “It was wonderful and a great win for us. We produced a notable performance after going down 0-1. We missed some vital points in the first set and we lost and we came from behind to post a remarkable victory. I have played together for a long time for Pakistan and played over 100 Davis Cup Tennis Tie matches for our country and different venues.”
Coach Mushaf Zia said: “Our boys did well and claimed a big win in the Davis Cup. There was not a big difference in the both sides, as Pakistani duo of tennis stars Aisam and Aqeel have been playing together for a long time. They used their experience to defeat the visiting team.”
