Tennis: NZ fight hard for 2-0 lead over Kuwait

Mark Nielsen in action against Kuwait. Picture / Fotopress

New Zealand overcame an injury scare and some spirited resistance to grab the early momentum in their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group two tennis semifinal against Kuwait here today.

New Zealand No 1 Mark Nielsen limped to a hard-fought 7-6 (7-1) 1-6 6-4 6-1 win over Kuwaiti teenager Abdullah Magdas before GD Jones was also made to grind before beating Mohammad Al Ghareeb 3-6 6-4 7-5 6-2.

That left New Zealand with a 2-0 lead as they eye tomorrow's doubles match and Sunday's reverse singles.

The only concern for the home side will be a niggling leg injury that threatened to upset Nielsen's belated counter-attack against Magdas, and one that could still force him out of the doubles.

Widely expected to have the wood on the unknown Magdas, Nielsen found himself a set down and was forced to endure severe cramping and a medical stoppage before winning in four sets.

New Zealand need to beat Kuwait to qualify for the Asia-Oceania group two finals in September, not to mention giving themselves a chance of moving back up into the group one division if they can beat probable finalists Korea.

All that seemed a distant dream today when Nielsen faltered in the second set against the sweet timing of Magdas, and was then forced to the sideline for medical treatment while leading 2-0 in the fourth.

Nielsen returned to the court and closed out the game with a minimum of fuss, before sailing through the rest of the set with a new-found sense of urgency.

"I decided to hit out more at his (Madgas') serve, go after my own serve a bit more and basically try to keep the points short by hitting a higher percentage of winners," said Nielsen, who hopes to be fit enough to play the rest of the tie.

"I'm taking painkillers and using icepack treatments to minimalise the problem, and I'm hopeful that I'll be fine for the rest of the contest.

"At a pinch, I probably could have played a fifth set if it was required."

Nielsen did not mind admitting he was taken aback by the initial assault from Magdas, who began today's match with a world singles ranking of 1479 and was not expected to take a set off the New Zealander.

Instead, Nielsen was forced to fight tooth and nail through the first set before running away with the tiebreak; was badly beaten in the second set after dropping his second service game, and was 0-2 down in the third before finally hitting his straps.

"I had the impression out there that he wasn't missing many of his first serves, and I think the scoresheet will back that up," he said.

"He served very strongly.

"There was a bit of pressure out there when I realised that he wasn't going to drop his serve, and that he was also playing a good allround game -- passing well and getting around the court well."

In a match that took three hours 19 minutes, Nielsen's energy was seriously drained during the opening game of the second set, when Magdas held service after a total of 14 deuces to pour the pressure on the home side's trumpcard.

The defining moment was probably midway through the third set when Nielsen battled back from 0-2 down to win 6-4, in the process snatching the momentum back for New Zealand and diluting some of Magdas' enthusiasm.

Even more satisfying for the New Zealanders was the performance from Jones, 19, who was overrun by Al Ghareeb in the first set before fighting back in the second, outlasting his opponent in the third and romping away with the fourth.

"I had a bit of a problem with my concentration at the start, and he (Al Ghareeb) opened up pretty strongly," Jones said.

"I was just telling myself to hang in there, to try to make him play as many balls as possible and the floodgates would open.

"It took a while, but finally they did."

- NZPA