| The match took one hour
54 minutes for Statham to complete the
victory despite a shaky start. "At the
start I came out a bit nervous playing
within myself a bit too much. I then got
the feel and gained in confidence. I
then started playing really well. He’s a
tricky player to play and can give you
troubles. His style is not what you’re
used to," said Statham referring to the
unorthodox right-handed Khan who hit
forehands with two hands and backhands
with one hand.
With a large number of long rallies
in the first set Statham was forced to
grind out points but was able to break
his opponents serve in the first game of
each set to gain the vital advantage.
The doubles match which has
Marcus Daniell and Venus set to
clash with Qureshi and Khan is schedule
to start at 2pm on Saturday, however
teams are able to change combinations
prior to the match.
"We have options for the doubles they
don’t," said Vos. "Qureshi is their
strength in doubles, but he will be
tired."
Results:
Rubin Statham(New Zealand) bt Aqeel
Khan(Pakistan) 6-4 6-0 6-0
Aisam Qureshi(Pakistan) bt Michael
Venus (New Zealand 7-6 4-6 6-2 2-6 15-13 |
