New Zealand wrap up easy Davis Cup win
New Zealand have emphatically assured their place in group one of the Davis Cup for 2017.
The Kiwis built an unassailable 3-0 lead over Pakistan in their AsiaOceania relegation tie at Christchurch’s Wilding Park, easily claiming yesterday’s doubles contest.
New Zealand’s Rio Olympic combination of Michael Venus [world No 41 for doubles] and Marcus Daniell [56 for doubles] needed just one hour, 14 minutes to thump the Pakistan duo of Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Abid Ali Khan Akbar 6-0 6-1 6-2.
New Zealand team captain Alistair Hunt was delighted with the manner of Venus and Daniell’s win against the weak Pakistan pairing.
‘‘I think they showed their true class. Sometimes it’s a little bit tough trying to beat guys like that. You can drop down to their level, but they stayed well above that and showed why they’ve done so well this year.’’
After a dominant opening day on Friday, New Zealand held a firm 2-0 grip on the tie. Rubin Statham celebrated overtaking 1974 French Open doubles winner Onny Parun as the country’s most capped Davis Cup player [26 ties] routing Akbar 6-0 6-1 6-4.
Wellington’s Finn Tearney enjoyed a dream Davis Cup debut, crushing Samir Iftikhar 6-2 6-0 6-0.
Venus and Daniell continued New Zealand’s superiority with a lop-sided doubles win.
New Zealand have dropped just 10 games over nine sets in the tie and Hunt praised the team’s ruthless play.
‘‘[It’s been] nice and It makes a comprehensive. pleasant change, we’ve had some pretty tough ties over the last few years.
‘‘For us, it’s really good to get a comfy one under the belt.’’
There were ominous signs early on in the doubles for Pakistan with Khan’s serve being broken in the second game of the first set.
Pakistan will rue the fact the experienced Aisam ul Haq Qureshi bizarrely opted to stay home and boycott the tie.
Qureshi believed New Zealand should have come to Islamabad to play to compensate them for a 2013 tie in neutral Myanmar, which was awarded to the Kiwis due to an unplayable surface.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) rejected Islamabad as a host venue because of security reasons, making a mockery of Qureshi’s argument.
Even Qureshi, ranked 42 in the world for doubles, would have been powerless to prevent the carnage on court. New Zealand captured the first set 6-0 in just 23 minutes, breaking Pakistan’s serve on three occasions.