Tennis: Tie square after marathon

New Zealand are at 1-1 after the first day of the Asia/Oceania Group II Davis Cup semifinal in Hawera after a dramatic second singles game which ended with experienced Pakistan player Aisam Qureshi winning 15-13 in the fifth set.

Qureshi, 30, beat New Zealand debutant Michael Venus in a match which lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes, with the final set taking 2 hours and three minutes for a 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 15-13 win to the Pakistani.

Venus had three match points overall and was actually serving for the match at 5-2 in the fifth set but was broken and then had Qureshi hold serve.

The experience of Qureshi showed through despite his visibly tired legs.

The loss was devastating for the large and vocal crowd and the New Zealand team, with captain Marcel Vos almost at a loss for words after the match. "Mike just gave it everything, but unfortunately just came out short in the fifth set. He's a great asset to the team. He fought all the way.

"I'm really proud of him. It just didn't work out in the end. The result is so disappointing. But anyway, it's one-all and we must look forward to the next match," said Vos.

Earlier, Kiwi No 1 Rubin Statham beat Pakistan No 2 Aqeel Khan 6-4, 6-0, 6-0.

The match took 1 hour 54 minutes for Statham to complete the victory despite a shaky start. "At the start I came out a bit nervous playing within myself a bit too much," he said. "I then got the feel and gained in confidence."

The doubles match, which has Marcus Daniell and Venus against Qureshi and Khan, is scheduled to start at 2pm today.