Bahrain beat Mongolia

Manama : Bahrain’s national team ranked 117th in the world opened its Davis Cup campaign yesterday with a 2-1 victory against 121st ranked Mongolia in Pool B of Asia/Oceania Group IV on the clay courts at the Al-Hussein Sport City in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Abdulkarim, 29, and Hassan Abdulnabi, 27, teamed up to record a straight sets 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Mongolia’s Oyunbat Baatar and Duurenbayar Erdenebayar in the decisive doubles rubber.

Bahraini pair raced into a 3-0 lead and soon had the first set wrapped up in around 27 minutes.

The second set was even more dominant for the Bahraini pair as they effected three breaks to win the set and clinch the tie.

Earlier, 18-year old Bahraini debutant Elyas Abdulnabi lost in the first singles rubber 6-3, 6-2 to Mongolia’s Erdenebayar in a contest lasting just under 75 minutes and Bahrain levelled the match in the second singles rubber, as Hussain Abdulnabi came from a set down to defeat Baatar 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in a match running just over an hour and a quarter.

The Bahrain delegation is headed by Bahrain Tennis Federation board member director Mohammed Ali Salman with national coach, team captain and Davis Cup veteran Essam Abdul A’al supervising the team, with 21-year-old Yousif Qaed being the other squad member.

Bahrain first entered the Davis Cup in 1989 and have four times been in Group II of the Asian regional zone.

In the other Pool B match yesterday, hosts Jordan ranked 106 were 3-0 winners over unranked Tajikistan for its second win in the five-team pool which also includes Iraq.

Seif Adas won the opening singles rubber 6-1, 6-0 against Mirkhusein

Yakhyaev and the tie was clinched when Mousa Alkotop was a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Fariduni Hamid.