Pakistan’s second ranked Aqeel Khan dropped the first set but recovered to beat Taiwan’s No 1 Cheng Wei-Jen 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-0 in two hours and five minutes.
Later Aisam-ul-Haq, country’s most celebrated player, put Pakistan 2-0 ahead when Chang Wen-Lung conceded the match after 83 minutes with the home player leading 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Chang complained of pain in his left shoulder.
Pakistan will be hoping to take an unbeatable 3-0 lead at 12 noon Saturday when the doubles match will be played. In the other match in the same group being played at Wuhan, China, Kazakhastan led China 2-0.
Rashid Malik, Pakistan’s non-playing captain, said he would announce the doubles pair an hour before the start of the match.
He had earlier named Aisam to pair with Aqeel for the vital match.
In both the singles, the Pakistanis proved to be slow starters. But they bounced back to bring smiles on the concerned faces in their camp.
In the first match which saw both the players struggling to hold serves, Cheng’s over-offensive approach cost him dearly despite the fact that he took the first set 6-4.
Cheng broke Aqeel in the second, eighth and tenth games while failed to hold his serve in the seventh and ninth.
While Cheng closed the first game of the opening set with an ace, Aqeel committed three successive double-faults to drop his serve on love.
Cheng held his serve to lead 3-0 before Aqeel got on the scoreboard by holding his serve. The Pakistani broke back in the fifth game but squandered the opportunity when he was broken in the seventh game to hand his rival a 5-3 lead.
Aqeel was back in contention when he broke Cheng in the ninth game but once again faltered on his serve as Cheng took the first set.
However, Aqeel was getting a feel of the environment and that was reflected in the second set when he served and volleyed much better than his rival. His ground strokes, particularly the forehand down the line, earned him valuable points as Cheng looked helpless at times.
Aqeel dropped his serve in the sixth game but broke Cheng in the third, seventh and the ninth games to win the set at 6-3 and draw the match level at 1-all.
Aqeel was now at his impressive best and sending winners all over the court. In the third set, he developed a 3-1 lead and then surged to a 5-3 lead. In the ninth game, Aqeel sent down three aces to close the set 6-3 in style.
With Aqeel leading 2-1, Cheng was now exhausted and looked out of gas. His court coverage slumped as he struggled to get the ball on the racket.
On the contrary, Aqeel improved his overall game brilliantly to take a 5-0 lead. Cheng, in the sixth game, momentarily looked like being in the match but Aqeel saved two break points to hold his serve and shut the door on Cheng to put Pakistan 1-0 infront.
Aqeel fired 12 aces but all his three double-faults came in the second game of the first set. Wei hit three aces.
Aisam and Chang clashed to be a duel of big serves. Aisam, who plays on international circuit, sent down 19 aces against four double-faults while Chang fired nine aces and double-faulted seven times.
Chang made an impressive start to the match when he easily held his serve. Aisam, on the contrary, struggled and only managed to hold his serve after three deuces.
With both the players holding their serves, the only break opportunity came for Chang in the 10th game. But Aisam defied two break points to hold his serve.
In the tie-break, Chang made the decisive mistake when he double-faulted to give Aisam a 6-5 lead. Aisam won the tie-breaker when Chang found the net while trying to return Aisam’s forceful serve that targeted the body.
Aisam, in the second game, broke Chang in the fourth game to go 4-1 ahead before the visitor took time-out for medical treatment.
Chang returned to hold his serve in the sixth and eight games but Aisam proved to be a much better opponent when he clinched the set 6-4.
As Aisam walked to his chair for change-over, Chang conceded the match complaining of severe pain in his left shoulder.
Results
Pakistan lead Taiwan 2-0 (Pakistan names first):
Aqeel Khan beat Cheng Wei-Jen 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-0; Aisam-ul-Haq beat Chang Wen-Lung 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, retired (Chang retired injured).