Pacific Oceania now ranked No. 68

Pacific Oceania went down five rungs to No. 68 in the latest Davis Cup standings following its 2-3 loss in the hands of Oman last weekend at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat.

After starting the year at No. 63, the Islanders saw its ranking slip to the low 60s after the loss to the Middle East country that relegated them to Group III for the 2009 Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone competition.

Curiously though, Oman is a rung lower than the Islanders in the Davis Cup ranking, which was released last April 14, at No. 69. Pacific Oceania currently sits with 95 points, 10 points higher than the 85 posted by Oman, which last year was elevated from Group III.

In the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II relegation tie held last weekend, Oman seized control of its matchup against the Islanders when the talented Al Nabhani brothers— Khalid and Mohammad—defeated Michael Leong of Solomon Islands and Juan Sebastian Langton of Samoa in the opening singles last April 11.

The speedy Leong met his match against Khalid Al Nabhani as the ace of the Pacific Oceania team was overpowered in straight sets, 1-6, 6-7 (3-6), 4-6.

Langton, meanwhile, fared much better against Mohammed Al Nabhani, but lost in a tight one nonetheless, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6.

With 0-2 deficit starring them in the face, Pacific Oceania team captain Cyrille Mainguy entrusted the Islanders’ last hopes to the pair of Brett Baudinet of Cook Islands and Cyril Jacobe of Vanuatu who took on the tireless Al Nabhani brothers in the doubles match the following day, April 12.

The Pacific Oceania duo battled through five hard-fought sets but ultimately lost to the Omani tandem in heart-breaking fashion, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 4-6.

At on point in the fourth set, Jacobe was serving for the match only to have the Al Nabhani brothers break it and force the game into a tiebreak, which they won.

With victory slipping out their grasp, Baudinett and Jacobe were a shell of themselves in the fifth, which allowed the Al Nabhani brothers to take over and win the tie and render the reverse singles the next day, April 13, academic.

Leong and Langton nonetheless gave their all and defeated Mohammad Al Nabhani and Sulaiman Al Rawahi, respectively, in the third day’s reverse singles to allow the Islanders to bow out of Group II with a more forgiving 2-3 loss.

Leong beat Mohammad Al Nabhani, 6-7 (3-6), 6-3, 6-3, while Langton ran made roughshod over Oman’s No. 3 player Al Rawahi, 6-1, 6-4.