Pacific Oceania stuns Iran in Davis Cup tie

Pacific Oceania nearly swept Iran in their relegation tie over the weekend at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa Tennis Club in Guam to remain in Group 2 of the BNP Paribas Davis Cup Asia/Oceania.

The Cyrille Mainguy-captained Pacific Oceania secured the win as early as Saturday when the team won the first two singles matches and one doubles, according to Oceania Tennis Federation website. Then last Sunday, Pacific Oceania split the two reverse singles games for a 4-1 victory that saved the team from dropping to Group 3.

The Marshall Islands’ West Nott gave the Islanders their first triumph after sweeping Iran’s No. 1 player Shahin Khaledan in straight sets.

After taking a slim 2-1 lead in the opening set, Nott outlasted Khaledan in long rallies in the ensuing plays for a big 6-1 victory. In the second set, Nott opened up with a 2-0 advantage, but Khaledan recovered and equalized. It was a nip-and-tuck game from thereon with Nott still prevailing, 6-4, to move a set away from ending the match. In the third set, the long-rally game again favored Nott, who won five straight games en route to a 6-2 triumph.

In the second singles match last Friday, the Solomon Island’s Michael Leong was pitted against Rouzbeh Kamran and the former got off to a bad start, allowing the Iranian to take a commanding 5-1 lead before rain halted the play. Kamran went on to win the first set when game resumed, 6-1, but Leong swept the last three to give Pacific Oceania a 2-0 lead after Day 1 of the tournament. After losing points to Kamran’s winners in the first set, the much-fitter Leong moved well around the court to catch the Iranian flatfooted and win the last three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Day 2 of the competition had scheduled only a doubles match between the pairs of Vanuatu’s Cyril Jacobe and Guam’s Daniel Llarenas and Iran’s Ashkan Shokoofi and Seyed Taheri. Like their singles players, Shokoofi and Taheri hold ITF rankings, but the unranked Jacobe and Llarenas also pulled off an upset over the Iranian duo, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

The doubles win last Saturday secured Pacific Oceania a spot in Group 2, which also has Korea, Thailand, Syria, Indonesia, and Pakistan. With the Islanders keeping their slot in Group 2, they will now wait for the draw in October to determine their first round foe for 2012.

Iran dropped to Group 3 and won only one game, courtesy of Khaledan’s 6-4, 6-4 victory against Jacobe in the reverse singles match last Sunday. Nott took his second singles triumph when he topped Kamran in the other reverse singles duel, 6-3, 6-4. The 4-1 win over Iran was the best result Pacific Oceania recorded in Group 2.

Meanwhile, Pacific Oceania dedicated its victory to former Guam National Tennis Federation president Bill Camacho, who passed away in March this year after Guam hosted the first round tie with the Islanders losing to Thailand, 0-5.