The UAE enjoyed a triumphant start to their Davis Cup campaign, beating Pacific Oceania 2-1 in the opening tie of Group III action at the Aviation Club.
Mahmoud Nader Al Blooshi made a winning return after over two-years away from tennis as he scored the UAE’s first point, overcoming a tough opener against William O’Connell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, before top Emirati Omar Behroozian sealed the deal for the hosts.
Initially scheduled to feature in doubles only on Wednesday, a last-minute change saw Al Blooshi replace an ailing Hamad Janahi in the opening singles match of the tie and the UAE veteran did not disappoint.
The 33-year-old Emirati faced a tricky challenge in the form of a left-handed and much younger opponent but Al Blooshi managed to brush off any rustiness he might have and outlasted the 21-year-old O’Connor in a lengthy encounter.
“Once they told me that Hamad is sick and that I have to replace him I got really nervous. I couldn’t sleep last night,” a relieved Al Blooshi told Sport360°.
“This is my first match in almost two and a half years and I was very surprised that I was going to play the opening singles.
“I was in the mind frame to play doubles and I’ve been focusing in practice on doubles but thankfully I managed to focus and win this match.”
“It was a really difficult first match for us,” added Al Blooshi. “Facing Pacific Oceania is a tough draw to begin with and there was a lot of pressure on us.
“When I dropped the second set I told myself I have to keep pushing because I was leading before and I could do it again.”
Behroozian later sealed the deal for the hosts, beating another lefty, the 42-year-old Gilles de Gouy 6-3, 6-3 to give the UAE an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie.
“Mahmoud did very well today,” said Behroozian after his win. “It’s always tough to play the second match. Mentally I’m used to it but you’re always worried what happens in the first match and you forget that you have a match as well. So it’s a double worry.
“But I played a good match. It was better than I expected. I didn’t play my best but I won in straight sets and I’m happy that the team was able to pull it off.”
On Thursday, the UAE take on Cambodia, who lost to Vietnam. “It’s going to be a physical match,” Behroozian said of the tie. “We both qualified from Group IV together last year, so we know them well. They have a good team. We’re hoping we can recover physically and mentally in time and be ready to go again tomorrow.”
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