Despite a valiant effort in the opening reverse singles on Sunday, Aisam Qureshi defeated Yu Hiu Tung in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, to cement Pakistan's 3-1 victory over Hong Kong in the first round of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas 2010 Asia/Oceania Zone Group II.

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The setback places Hong Kong in a Relegation Playoff with Sri Lanka, who fought back from 0-2 to level against New Zealand in Colombo on Sunday before the Kiwis won the fifth and deciding rubber to secure a 3-2 victory.

The Relegation Playoff is scheduled for the weekend of July 7-9 and it will be somewhere in Sri Lanka, since Victoria Park was the venue for the most recent match-up.

Hong Kong has managed to preserve its Asia/Oceania Zone Group II status by winning a Relegation Playoff against Iran, Lebanon, and Oman in each of the past three years.

The tie over the weekend against Pakistan was always going to be difficult going in, and so it proved to be.

Despite a resilient effort from Yu Hiu Tung, he was unable to crack the Qureshi serve, going 0 for 4 in break point conversions, while his opponent converted 3 of 8, with the lone break in each set big enough the difference to settle matters in the end.

Amid gloomy grey skies from above threatening to cause havoc with an impending rainstorm of some sort, play went ahead at twelve minutes past two with a fairly decent crowd already gathered on centre court.

The opening point saw Qureshi attack the net on his second serve with a slider out wide but he was met with a clean backhand crosscourt winner from the HK rep. As it turned out, that was the best point Yu Hiu Tung managed to produce against his opponent's serve, as the Pakistani No. 1 lost only four points on serve the rest of the way in the first set.

After Tung made a solid hold to 1-1, Qureshi belted consecutive aces sandwiched between a pair of first serve winners to hold.

At 2-1, the first rain delay came.

The match restarted approximately 37 minutes later with Yu Hiu Tung conceding just one point in his next two service games, while Qureshi did twice as bad by giving up two points on his pair of service games.

It was still on serve at 3-4 and 30-30 when the HK Davis Cupper double faulted to yield the first break point opportunity. After Qureshi netted an approach to bring the score up to deuce, the second rain delay arrived.

This time, the delay went for roughly an hour and fifteen minutes.

When the match resumed, Tung was to waste four game point opportunities all the while saving three break points along the way before Qureshi finally broke through to take a 5-3 lead.

He duly held at love to secure the first set, 6-3.

Servers again dominated in the early going in the ensuing set, with Yu Hiu Tung increasingly winning more of the baseline exchanges even, as he gave up merely five points in his first four service games.

In the pivotal sixth game with Qureshi trailing 2-3 on serve, the HK rep had his counterpart down 15-40 but his opponent again served himself out of trouble to draw even at 3-3.

Two games later at 4-4, Yu Hiu Tung's serve was under siege with a barrage of chip and charges from the Pakistani No. 1.

Although the southpaw from Hong Kong valiantly fought off three break points in succession, he threw down his second double fault in this game to lose serve.

Qureshi, rarely wasting any opportunities he is given, delivered three thumping aces in a row in the ensuing game to hold authoritatively for the second set, 6-4.

Trailing two sets to love, the HK rep had a small window of opportunity in the beginning of the third set when he had Qureshi down 15-40.

However, just as he had done in such crucial moments the previous two days, he came up with huge serves when he needed them most, as the world No. 625 threw down four straight booming deliveries – two of them aces – to hold for 1-1.

Knowing all too well one more break ought to be sufficient, he eventually broke Yu Hiu Tung on his second break opportunity in the fifth game to lead, 3-2.

Although he was to start the ensuing game with two double faults, Qureshi again ended the service game with a flurry of first serves, this time two more for aces, to consolidate for 4-2.

Alternating effectively between flat ones down the tee and a slider or a kicker out wide, Qureshi lost just two more points on serve, as he belted his 17th ace of the match four games later to end the 110-minute contest, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

In the remaining dead rubber singles, NTS player Kelvin Lam (ITF 549) was given his Davis Cup debut, as he took to the courts against Aqeel Khan's younger brother, Jalil. The score reached 2-1 in favour of Hong Kong when persistent rain forced the rubber to be abandoned.

Next up for Hong Kong is the Group II Relegation Playoff against Sri Lanka over the weekend of July 7-9. Since Hong Kong hosted the most recent tie between the two teams, the match-up later this summer will be in Sri Lanka.

Since beating Hong Kong on red clay at home in 1983, Sri Lanka has lost the next four meetings to date with the territory, including the last encounter at VP in 2006.

With none of its player being ranked at present, Sri Lanka surprisingly came from 0-2 down at home over the weekend to tie New Zealand before Kiwi No. 2 Jose Statham beat Rajeev Rajapakse in the fifth and deciding rubber to cement a 3-2 win.

The remaining Group II Relegation Playoff will pit Malaysia against Pacific Oceania, who were both blanked by Indonesia and Thailand respectively in the first round.

Results
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas 2010
Asia/Oceania Zone Group II - First Round
Victoria Park, Hong Kong
March 5-7, 2010

PAKISTAN defeated HONG KONG 3–1

R-1 Yu Hiu Tung (HKG) d. Aqeel Khan (PAK) 6-4 6-2 3-6 3-6 6-3
R-2 Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Jack Hui (HKG) 6-2 6-3 6-4
R-3 Aisam Qureshi/Aqeel Khan (PAK) d. Jack Hui/Yu Hiu Tung (HKG) 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-4
R-4 Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Yu Hiu Tung (HKG) 6-3 6-4 6-4
R-5 Kelvin Lam (HKG) leads Jalil Khan (PAK) 2-1 (Match abandoned due to rain)

Yu Hiu Tung photos courtesy of Donald Chin