Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, one in all Pakistan’s most achieved tennis gamers, could now be 43 years previous, and will not even be positioned on the singles rankings of the ATP Tour, however he discovered himself seven factors away from creating an enormous upset. However India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan clutched up on serve and return to save lots of himself from the blushes and overturn a one-set deficit in opposition to Qureshi, prevailing 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-0 within the opening singles rubber of the Davis Cup World Group 1 playoff tie between India and Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday.
N Sriram Balaji, a comparatively inexperienced singles participant previously few years, adopted up Ramkumar’s win by defeating 44-year-old veteran Aqeel Khan 7-5, 6-3 to present India an imposing 2-0 lead within the tie heading into the second day.
India had been the favourites on each expertise and rating – even with out their two top-ranked gamers Sumit Nagal and Sasikumar Mukund – and it was Ramkumar’s capability to carry his personal on grass courts that was supposed to present the facet the sting. Nonetheless, Qureshi had Ramkumar on the ropes all through the second set, after edging the tiebreaker within the first, maintaining along with his opponent’s massive serving recreation. Qureshi was 40-15 up at 3-4 on Ramkumar’s serve earlier than the Indian served his method out of bother. He by no means appeared again.
The Pakistan veteran shouldn’t be an everyday singles participant, however his know-how, particularly on grass, and dedication to high-tempo attacking tennis put Ramkumar in a repair. The 461st-ranked Indian, nonetheless, solved for issues within the second set, returning with venom from the get-go, getting an early lead earlier than being damaged himself to make it 2-2.
Ramkumar, a serve-and-volleyer, had not been up to speed on his first serve up till that time, making solely 48% of them, however was nonetheless racing by way of his service video games within the first set. It remained key for him as he was capable of flip the match round by locking in on serve, persevering with to maintain his service video games and factors quick, and permitting his veteran opponent to put on himself out as he took the second to a different shootout.
He then broke Qureshi’s recreation down with a few massive winners to style a 4-0 lead within the tiebreaker and served it out to take the match to a deciding set. And as Qureshi wilted below the depth and the stress, struggling an obvious hamstring problem, the Indian wouldn’t lose one other recreation as he handed out a bagel within the third set and ignited India’s push to interrupt down Pakistan’s spirited problem.
The Davis Cup group’s tour of Pakistan stays one of many uncommon events that an Indian sports activities group has crossed the border over the previous few years, as geopolitical tensions have risen between the 2 international locations. In view of that, and India’s a number of requests to maneuver the tie to a impartial venue prefer it had been performed in 2019, the ITF pressured the Pakistan Tennis Federation’s hand in retaining this tie a low-key affair, with solely 500-odd spectators in attendance on the Islamabad Sports activities Advanced on a depressing day.
Within the second singles rubber, Khan stored up with Balaji by way of some good serving, even saving a break level in the course of the primary set earlier than buckling as he was serving to power the set right into a second tiebreaker. Rain would interrupt proceedings with India unquestionably forward, and as play resumed, Balaji didn’t let the momentum stream the opposite method, staying sharp on his personal serve and breaking Khan’s in the one recreation he created break factors to spherical out the 7-5, 6-3 win.
Subsequent up in doubles, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni will tackle Muzammil Murtaza and Barkat Ullah within the third rubber on Sunday, with which they might seal the tie for India with a win.
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