(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Hosts Oman kept their winning rhythm as it recorded yet another impressive 3-0 win on Wednesday, this time over Kyrgyzstan, to remain on top of Pool A of the 2018 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV competition at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC).
The third successive clean sweep of rubbers for Oman (9-0) puts it marginally ahead of its main rival, UAE (8-1) in the pool. As expected, it was Mohammed al Nabhani who gave the hosts a solid start as he cruised to 6-1, 6-1 win over Kirill Kistanov. Young Abdullah al Barwani made it 2-0 with an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Evgeniy Babak.
Having read the rival team's strengths, Oman's non-playing captain Siddiq al Hashmi then decided to hand Davis Cup debut to 14 year old Muneer al Rawahi, the team's youngest player. Rawahi, did not disappoint as he teamed up with Nabhani to outplay Babak and Georgy Kotlyarevsky 6-4, 6-0.
Abdullah al Barwani in action on Wednesday
Oman next plays Myanmar on Thursday and a clean sweep will put it in a strong position to finish on top ahead of its concluding tie against its main rival, UAE, on Friday, which will decide the Pool A topper. Hashmi said, 'I am really happy with the 3-0 win today. After a long and tough outing against Iraq on Tuesday, it was good to have a relatively easier opponent like Kyrgyzstan.
'But, it is still not easy for players as they have to be at their best to earn win.'
Hashmi had praised debutant Muneer. 'I am glad to watch Muneer make his Davis Cup debut. He teamed up well with Mohammed [al Nabhani]. I am sure Muneer will be thrilled on his debut and the experience will do him a world of good ahead.'
UAE also recorded its third victory in a row beating Myanmar 3-0. In the singles, Abdulrahman al Janahi beat Aung Kyaw Naing 6-1, 6-2 while Fahad al Janahi defeated Aung Myo Thant 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. In the doubles, Abdulrahman al Janahi and Fares al Janahi beat Aung Kyaw Naing and Tin Myo Wai 6-0, 6-3.
In Pool B, Singapore won its third successive tie with a 3-0 verdict against Mongolia.
Singapore leads Pool B with a 9-0 record while Bahrain is second with two wins and 6-3 rubbers record after its 3-0 win over Tajikistan on Wednesday.
Other results: Pool A: Bangladesh 2 Iraq 1. Pool B: Guam 3 Turkmenistan 0.
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