Malta narrowly lost to Iceland in the final doubles match played by a world first ever father and son pairing made up of Matthew and Gordon Asciak in the Davis Cup.

The Maltese team had to face its toughest encounter yesterday against Iceland which is the strongest team in the group. Matthew Asciak first took on Andri Jonsson and despite a tough encounter, Matthew beat his opponent 6-0, 6-2. Matthew’s baseline game proved to be too strong for the Icelandic player who never really got in the game.

The second match saw Daniel Ceross play the strong and powerful Amar Sigurdsson. Unfortunately, the Maltese player played good shots but lost with a score line that does not mirror the play witnessed on court - but the end result of 6-2 6-1 is what got recorded on the umpire’s card.

Naturally the doubles encounter was the highlight of the day witnessed by a sizeable crowd that braved the heat to cheer the Maltese team. Gordon and Matthew Asciak played well in the first set and suffered one crucial break to end up losing 4-6. The second set was a real well fought tussle where Gordon Asciak proved that he is still the most experienced local doubles player. Matthew played well and won several points with his strong passing shots. Malta managed to take the lead 6-5 but could not break Andri Jonsson’s serve and the set was to be decided by a tie break. Iceland secured the set 7-6 and the tie with an overall 2-1 win.

Malta will today play a deciding tie against San Marino who yesterday got the better of Uganda 2-1. The first match which starts at 10.30am will be followed by the other singles and then the doubles. The winner will be promoted to next year’s Davis Cup Zone 3.