Rankings go out of the window in Davis Cup, only if you let it go!
Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan were forthright as they put the Kiwis in their place to give India a 2-0 start in the Asia Oceania Davis Cup tie at the Balewadi Tennis Complex here on Friday.
After Yuki Bhambri got over the initial hiccups with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Finn Tearney, Ramkumar came out blazing with his big serves and explosive forehands on a slow court to record a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 victory over the seasoned Jose Statham in the second singles.
This has set up the stage for Leander Paes to go for a world record doubles victory on Saturday evening with his trusted partner Vishnu Vardhan.
Having returned in a splendid fashion at the Chennai Open and the Australian Open, the 24-year-old Bhambri was expected to play much better than what his rank of 368 may indicate.
He did not disappoint. He bounced back from early breaks in the first two sets and did not give any chance to break his serve in the third.
“I stepped up when required, especially in the third set. I did not let him runaway when he had early leads. That was the key to the contest,’’ said Bhambri.
Even though Bhambri had trained on the court diligently for the last few days, he needed to adjust to the style and pace of Tearney, ranked a modest 414.
Once Bhambri got a grip over the spin and pace of the court, he just ripped his opponent apart. Bhambri had five aces and converted seven of the 17 breakpoints that he forced.
Ramkumar, who excelled with his big serves that touched 213 kmph, whipped the forehand decisively many a time. He was quite crafty with his delectable slice that he floated with uncanny efficiency past the onrushing opponent. Having played the big boys of Spain in the last Davis Cup tie in September, the 22-year-old Ramkumar was well equipped to handle an opponent ranked 417 even though Statham had the experience of taming some of the best players in the region from China and Chinese Taipei.
Ramkumar, who did not drop his serve even once, saved all three breakpoints he faced. He entertained the spectators with quality fare, winning some of the long rallies.
The 276th ranked Ramkumar fired 15 aces and committed eight doublefaults. He converted four of the six breakpoints to make it a straight-forward affair for the host.
Captain Anand Amritraj was quite relieved that the pleasant conditions in the evening, in front of an appreciative audience, brought the best out from the Indian boys.
The results: India leads New Zealand 2-0 (Yuki Bhambri bt Finn Tearney 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; Ramkumar Ramanathan bt Jose Statham 6-3, 6-4, 6-3).
