Paes, Bopanna lose their Davis Cup doubles rubber as visitors lead 2-1
Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek (left) and Adam Pavlasek celebrate their 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win over Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes in their doubles rubber of the Davis Cup World Group play-offs in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: BIPLAB BANERJEE)
New Delhi: The home crowd gathered in full strength to support the doubles pair of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna, but it was heartbreak in the end. The Indians lost to the Czech duo of Radek Stepanek and Adam Pavlasek 5-7, 2-6, 2-6 in the doubles rubber to hand the visitors a 2-1 lead on Day Two of the Davis Cup World Group play-offs here on Saturday.
The conditions were extreme with searing heat and humidity but the visiting side looked unperturbed and displayed sublime tennis on the day, outplaying the hosts from the word go.
India were favourites going into tie but Pavlasek — the youngest member in both the teams — stole the show on Saturday. The 20-year-old Czech was playing his first match along with Stepanek and impressed with his accurate moves on the court.
“It was the story of the youngster (Pavlasek) playing very well. We threw everything at him and hit everything very hard at him but he came off with some great reflexes,” Paes reflected after losing the match. The visitors got the crucial break points in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and made sure they consolidated on it.
Though the Indian duo managed to hold their next three service games to stay in the game at 5-5 and give the spectators some hope, it was just not their day. In the 11th game, the hosts bagged the first point but later squandered the chance to break their opponents and it cost them dear. After leading 6-5, it was no looking back for Stepanek and Pavlesek as they broke the error-prone Indians to take the first set.
“It was a bad day at office for me and I think I put pressure on myself of being the favourites and it backfired,” a dejected Bopanna after going down in the match.
The next two sets were an even much easier affair for the Czechs. As the temperatures soared, the visitors turned up the heat on the court and got into the groove better. They wrapped up the affair in two hours and 11 minutes.
“Being 37, I knew what was going on the other side of the court well in these hot and humid conditions as Rohan is 35 and Paes is 42. “The doubles is a very important point to win when the series is at 1-1. Adam is a great volleyer and he didn’t miss much today,” Stepanek said later.
The action now shifts to Sunday with the two reverse singles where the hosts need to win both rubbers to cement their place in the World Group or they will be relegated to the Asia/Oceania zone. Yuki Bhambri takes on Jiri Vesely in the first reverse singles, followed by the last rubber between Somdev Devvarman and Lukas Rosol.
Bopanna though thinks the tie still has some life left. “You’ve seen how Somdev came up. I think we can still win this tie. It will be tough but there is still a chance,” Bopanna said.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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