AMMAN: Oman made a winning start to their Davis Cup campaign in the Jordan capital with a 2-1 win over Iraq on Wednesday.
In the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV event, hosts Jordan are joined by Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Guam, Bahrain, Iraq, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Cambodia from September 11 to 15.
Experienced Omani player Mohammed al Nabhani overcame the challenge of Iraq’s Ali Bahadli 7-6, 6-3 in the first rubber of Pool B tie. In the second singles, Iraq pulled level when Akram al Saadi beat Oman’s Abdullah al Barwani 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. In the decisive doubles Mohammed and Abdullah beat Iraqi pair of Akram and Adil Mustafa 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 to give full points for Oman.
Oman will meet Bahrain, the third team in the pool, in the second match on Friday.
Dr Khalid al Nabhani, the non-playing captain of the national team and the deputy chairman of the Oman Tennis Association (OTA), said the Oman played a good game in the opening match against Iraq.
“We deserved the win after playing well against Iraq. We hope that our players will continue in this form to beat Bahrain and enter the second round’’.
He pointed out that the result against Iraq is a reflection of the good preparation of the team during the last period.
The OTA send the players to a camp in the United States apart from a camp in Muscat and a short camp in Amman ahead of the tournament.
“These camps have shaped the players well, lifting their technical level. We hope all the training efforts will see results in the tournament,” Khalid added.
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