Kiwis Score 3-2 Win Over Pakistan In Davis Cup - Full Report

After looking a little shaky going into the final day of the Asia/Oceania Group II semifinal against Pakistan the New Zealand Davis Cup team staged a comeback to win the tie 3-2 after two quick-fire victories by Rubin Statham and Austen Childs in the reverse singles.

Kiwi No1 Statham easily defeated Aisam Qureshi 6-2 6-1 6-3 in the first of the reverse singles to level the scores in the tie at 2-2.

Qureshi appeared visibly tired from his rushed flight from the Wimbledon doubles quarterfinals to then play a 15-13 four and a half hour win over Michael Venus on Friday followed by the doubles triumph on Saturday.

Against Statham he struggled to move and was treated by the team doctor courtside and even asked for coffee to be delivered courtside to get a boost during the match.

Statham provided to be the backbone for the home side, providing two straight victories in singles. However the vital match was put in the hands of the unranked 21-year-old Austen Childs who made his debut and in quick-fire fashion destroyed his experienced opponent – Aqeel Khan 6-1 6-3 6-3 in one hour 50 minutes.

“Marcel Vos asked me if I wanted to play the final match. I was pretty nervous form the start. I wasn’t really excited…just nervous,” said Childs who is in the final year of his scholarship at the University of Louisville in Kentucky where he made the singles final of the prestigious NCAA tournament this year.

“I knew once I actually starting playing I would be okay. As soon as I broke his serve in the first set I was alright. I just wanted to play and not think about it. I knew if I went hard everything would come together. I’m really happy right now,” he said, but he expects some ribbing from his mates at University.

“We’ve been joking about me playing the vital match at 2-2. They’ll all be laughing about it now that I managed to win.”

Despite his success where he displayed his powerful all round game, Childs participation in the Asia/Oceania Group II final against either Thailand or Indonesia in September could be in doubt as he would have to be released from his University. Something he says he’ll just have to wait and see about. In the meantime Childs is set to spend a few days at Mt Maunganui with his parents who he hadn’t seed since December.

For the New Zealand captain, Marcel Vos he believed one sentence summerised the win.

“A great team effort. That’s what it was. The four guys all working together for the win. I’m really proud of them,” he said.

Results:

Day 1:

Rubin Statham(New Zealand) bt Aqeel Khan(Pakistan) 6-4 6-0 6-0

Aisam Qureshi(Pakistan) bt Michael Venus(New Zealand) 7-6(2) 4-6 6-2 2-6 15-13

Day 2:

Qureshi/A Khan(Pakistan) bt Venus/Marcus Daniell(New Zealand) 7-6(6) 6-3 6-2

Day 3:

Reverse singles:

Rubin Statham(New Zealand) bt Aisam Qureshi(Pakistan) 6-2 6-1 6-3

Austen Childs(New Zealand) bt Aqeel Khan(Pakistan) 6-1 6-3 6-3