A new millennium. A new year. But it was the same old story for Hong Kong.
Melvin Tong battled bravely, but he could not stop Aisam-ul-Haq Qurashi leading Pakistan to victory in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone Group II tie which ended yesterday at Victoria Park.
Qurashi beat Tong 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the first reverse singles to secure overall victory for Pakistan.
The final scoreline was 3-2. Wayne Wong once again showed promise by defeating Aqeel Khan 7-5, 6-4 to underline how fortunate Pakistan were in having Qurashi, who won both his singles and played the decisive role in winning the doubles.
The final singles was a dead rubber. But winning mattered for Wong. It is a habit Hong Kong should adopt - the sooner the better.
Local tennis now finds itself once again in the familiar position of having to ward off relegation.
