Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II:

Pakistan beat SL 3-2

Richard Dwight

Interesting tennis that kept the crowd thrilled to be excited, when the BNP Parabas Asia/Oceania Group II Davis Cup tie commenced on Friday, between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) courts.

This tie began on a dismal note in one of two singles, where Aqueel Khan meeting Dinesh Kanthan Thangarajah. Thangarajah won the first set and on the third set retired hurt at 2/4 through injury. The score being 6/4, 1/6, 2/4 retired. In the second singles, Harshana Godamanna took the tall and well set broad shouldered Pakistani, Aslam Qureshi, the 6th world’s doubles player. It was a far too tight a match with everybody kept on their toes. Godamanna and Qureshi pulled every strategy and stroke they knew, for the score to read as 7/6, 7/6, 7/6 in Godamanna’s favour.

The doubles match between Pakistan represented by Aqueel Khan and Aisam Qureshi while Sri Lanka was represented by Harshana Godamanna and Rajiv Rajapakse. It was a closely fought out doubles match which ended in victory for Pakistan (6/2, 6/7, 2/6, 6/3, 6/2). In the third singles match, Harshana Godamanna made short work of Aqueel Khan of Pakistan to dominate play and win all three sets with his hard serves, proper placing and pleasing passing shots. This was his second reverse singles (6/4, 6/3, 6/4) .

Aisam Qureshi , of Pakistan taking on Dinesh Kanthan Thangarajah in the fourth and final singles won the match comfortably (6/2, 3/6, 6/3, 6/3). This meant that Pakistan won the tie 3-2. The two wins were brought to Sri Lanka by the versatile Godamanna.