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Hong Kong wins doubles, goes up 2-1
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Posted on Feb 12 2006
Pacific Oceania team captain Jeff Race of the CNMI took a gamble and fielded Michael Leong and West Nott in the important doubles match Saturday in the Asia/Oceania Group II Davis Cup tie.
After a great start Leong, of Solomon Islands, and Nott, of Marshall Islands, eventually lost in four sets, leaving Hong Kong ahead 2-1 going into the final day set yesterday at the Victoria Park Tennis Centre in the former British colony.
Leong and Nott came out strong and imposed themselves on the home team of Martin Sayer and Wing-Luen “Wayne” Wong, winning the first set 6-1.
The Hong Kong pair, however, picked up their game and won the second set 6-2 to level the match.
Although the Hong Kong team led by a break in the third set, the islanders had an opportunity to break serve and level the match at 5-all, but Sayer and Wong managed to hang on to win 6-4.
Despite some brilliant shot making in the fourth set from Pacific Oceania, the Hong Kong team increasingly found their range and increased the weight of their shots, winning the fourth set and the match 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
The pressure was on Pacific Oceania in yesterday’s reverse singles, as Race’s players must now win both contests to emerge with the victory.
Race, however, was faced with a tough decision of whether using Leong and Nott after the two played the first two days of the tie, or opt to field fresh legs Juan Sebastian Langton, of Western Samoa, and Brett Baudinet, of Cook Islands. Langton and Baudinet were originally nominated to play the doubles, but Race pulled the surprise by fielding Leong and Nott.
