New Zealand come from behind to beat Pakistan

Novice Austen Childs clinched the final match in the reverse singles as New Zealand came from behind to beat Pakistan 3-2 in their Asia/Ocean Group II Davis Cup semi-final match today.

Novice Austen Childs clinched the final match in the reverse singles as New Zealand came from behind to beat Pakistan 3-2 in their Asia/Ocean Group II Davis Cup semi-final match on Sunday.

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The 21-year-old made his Davis Cup debut in the deciding rubber and pulled off a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win over Aqeel Khan.

Pakistan led 2-1 going into the final day before New Zealand number one Rubin Statham levelled the series in the first of the reverse singles by beating Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.

Childs then stepped up in the final match to dispatch Khan in under two hours. "I was pretty nervous from the start. I wasn't really excited, just nervous," said Childs, a student at the University of Louisville in the United States. "As soon as I broke his serve in the first set I was all right."

Statham kept New Zealand in the tie with a straight sets win over Qureshi who had been the Pakistan anchor over the first two days.

New Zealand will now play the winner of the match between Thailand and Indonesia in the group final in September.

The semi-final against Pakistan was played on indoor courts in the North Island town of Hawera after being shifted from Pakistan amid security concerns.