PESHAWAR, Sept 22: Aqeel Khan shot into prominence Sunday when he earned a promotion for Pakistan to Davis Cup group one after winning the second reserve singles against China’s Wang Yu to help the home team carve out a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the Asia/Oceania group zone two final at the PAF grass court Sunday.

Aqeel, who had taken back stage in the presence of Aisam-ul-Haq, proved that he too was an integral part of Pakistan tennis when he won his match 6-1 6-4 7-5 after a dehydrated Aisam squandered a 2-0 advantage to lose 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-1 to Zhu Ben Qiang to allow China level the match 2-all.

Aqeel had lost his first singles match to Qiang Zhu in four sets but showed no signs of that defeat nor of an epic four hours and 55 minutes double match Saturday to help Pakistan return to group one after three years.

It was also a sweat revenge for the Pakistanis who were relegated to zone two by China in 1990 and 1999.

“I think Aqeel played extraordinary tennis after we were left disappointed when Aisam lost due to health problems,” said Pakistan captain Rasheed Malik.

“It’s great to get promotion and feature alongside the likes of Japan, South Korea and India from next year,” Malik said.

“Pakistan outplayed us and Aqeel played brilliantly while our player was nervous,” said China’s American coach Mark Elliott.

“Tennis is getting popular in China and had we won, it could have boosted it further. But now we will try one more time to get promotion,” he said.

Aqeel, who struggled to hold his serve on the first two days, found the target right. He broke Yu twice in the first set to surge to a 1-0 lead.

Aqeel then broke Yu in the ninth game of the second set and successfully held his serve to earn a 2-0 lead. In the third set, he earned the decisive break in the 12th game to seal the fate of the match.

If Aqeel had struggled with his backhand in the earlier matches, he found his magical touch and produced exquisite winners both from the backhand and forehand. Although he preferred to play from the baseline, he also scooped points whenever he tried the serve-and-volley game.

While Aqeel rose to the occasion and emerged as the unsung hero, Aisam justified the apprehensions of the experts when he lost steam by the third set and barely managed to complete the match.

The crowd-puller was said to have come in the match with a stomach upset and as the match progressed, his problems compounded when he suffered cramps.

Aisam, despite all handicaps, looked in control of the match when he clinched the first two sets before he double faulted in the vital eighth game of the third set. He never recovered after that.

In the decisive fifth set, he repeatedly suffered cramps and also received medical treatment which didn’t work.

Aisam was also penalized by the referee Shehzad Akhtar Alvi in the final set when he took more than the allotted 20 seconds for change of ends. He was first warned by the referee before awarding a point to Ben Qiang for court violation.

During the three-hour match, Ben Qiang fired 13 aces, mostly in the last three sets, whereas Aisam, normally a big server, had to content with just seven aces.

Although Aisam lost the match, he was not disgraced as he showed tremendous courage to hang in there and complete the match despite all odds.

Ben Qiang, after winning his match, said: “The weather is hot here as compared to China but players should have adjusted to the conditions.”

Ben Qiang showed that he was a thorough sportsman and a true gentleman when he appreciated the crowd for their support to both the teams. He said although it was his first tour to Pakistan, he would love to return to play here again.

“I am taking home nice memories from this tour,” he remarked.

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