ISLAMABAD-Japan continued their unbeaten run against Pakistan in the Davis Cup World Group-I tie, outsmarting them 4-0 at the Pakistan Sports Complex grass courts on Saturday.
Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan, who had already conceded 2-0 defeat on Friday in the singles, seemed off-colour against young Japanese pair of Shintaro Mochizuki and Sho Shimabukuro. Pakistan duo of Aisam and Aqeel though started the tie well and after a tough fight, managed to win the first set 6-4. But this was all that the Pakistan tennis stars could get from the match, as the Japanese pair bounced back strongly and won the second set 6-4 and then played more aggressive tennis in the third set and conceded just two points to win the set 6-2 and also earned an unassailable 3-0 lead.
In the reverse singles, Japan’s Yuta Shimizu proved too hot for Pakistan’s Muzammil Murtaza as he comfortably won the encounter with a score of 6-1, 6-1, thus provided his side a decisive 4-0 victory in the tie. The victory means Japan have an unblemished record against Pakistan, winning all the four encounters of the Davis Cup ties held so far between the two countries. They have also reserved a spot in the 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers.
Reflecting on the defeat, Aisam Qureshi, who does not feature in the singles in international events, said: “I think I was not in the best shape for the doubles. After Friday’s singles, I was very much exhausted. “I was unable to deliver the way I wanted to. My partner displayed good tennis, but I couldn’t help him in the best possible way, that’s why we lost the tie against Japan.”
Aqeel, who displayed standout performance in the first set, said: “We’ve been defeating the best outfits in the past, but this time, we remained unable to put up a good show. Although we tried to give our best against the Asian tennis powerhouse, but they were better than us in all the departments, so they did it and won the tie.”
The Pakistan-Japan tie was played without spectators due to Covid-19 restrictions. The eight highest-ranked winning nations of the World Group-I ties in March-September 2021 will automatically progress to the 2022 Davis Cup. The four lowest-ranked winners will take part in an additional knock-out tie in November, with the two winners progressing to the 2022 qualifiers and two losers contesting the 2022 World Group-I play-offs. The losing nations from the World Group-I ties will compete in the World Group-I play-offs in 2022. Pakistan’s next Davis Cup campaign will be in the World Group-I play-offs in February 2022.
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