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Abu Samah fights back from set down to move into second round

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Perak wheelchair tennis ace will next face world No 8 Tom Egberink of Holland at the Paralympics.

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Free Malaysia Today
Abu Samah Borhan hits a return to Jose Pablo Gil of Costa Rica at the Ariake Tennis Park. (Bernama pic)

TOKYO:
National wheelchair tennis player Abu Samah Borhan had to slog for more than two hours to clear the first round hurdle at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics today.

Abu Samah also had to fight back from a set down to defeat Costa Rica’s Jose Pablo Gil 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 at the Ariake Tennis Park here.

The world No 44 from Perak, however, faces an acid test in the second round tomorrow as he will be up against world No 8 Tom Egberink of Holland.

The Dutchman clearly has the psychological edge, having won their last two encounters.

The last time they met, at the 2015 Busan Open in South Korea, the 28-year-old Dutchman beat Abu Samah 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Met after his first round win today, Abu Samah said he lost the first set because he allowed Gil to set the tempo before he decided to change his tactics, including his service technique, to come out tops.

The 2017 Asean Para Games gold medallist said he and his coach would analyse his game as well as that of his Dutch opponent ahead of their clash.

Today’s win sees Abu Samah go one better than his 2016 Paralympic debut in Rio, where he crashed out in the first round after going down 6-0, 6-1 to Britain’s Alfie Hewett.

Meanwhile, Wheelchair Tennis Malaysia president Iqbal Sulaiman urged the player to give his everything against the fancied Egberink.

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