The dance by the Indian team to the tune of vibrant music at the climax with its entire support staff, much to the delight of the fans, beautifully captured the essence of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group-1 tie against Korea.
There was harmony in the Indian camp and the spirit was high, despite the struggle and the suspense of swinging fortunes on the grass court.
India had sealed the tie earlier, but that did not stop Korea from leading its way to a memorable finish on the third day at the Chandigarh Club on Sunday.
Watched by an appreciative crowd that patiently waited for the rain interval of about two hours between the two reverse singles, both the teams put up an honest and entertaining fare, even though it did not matter who won.
Bopanna delightsRohan Bopanna, forced to play the singles rubber in place of Saketh Myneni who had not recovered from his fitness issues after the heroics of the opening day, found his rhythm in time to delight the gathering with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the stocky and short left-hander Chung Hong.
Taking his time to get used to the singles court and the nature of grass, Bopanna recovered from being down a set and 1-4 in the second, to overwhelm the Korean.
Once he found his service rhythm — he fired 25 aces in the match — there was no stopping Bopanna as he closed the match in an hour and 23 minutes.
In contrast, Ramkumar Ramanathan, who had won the crucial opening rubber against Seong-Chan Hong, was in sight of victory at 5-2 in the decider but could not serve out the match against Yong-Kyu Lim, who suffered cramps on the first day.
Yong-Kyu seized the opportunity to win the only rubber for Korea with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(2) victory in just over two hours of entertaining play.
The 4-1 victory took India to the World Group play-off to be played in September, against one of the seeded teams from among Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, Canada, Spain, Kazakhstan, Japan and Germany.
It is the third year in a row that India is making it to brink of the World Group. It had lost tough matches against Serbia and Czech Republic over the last two years at the play-off stage.
“I gave it my best, but I fell short. I am really happy that the team won the tie,” said Ramkumar before rushing to catch a flight.
Bopanna said that he had surprised himself by playing so well in singles, while admitting that he was hitting the alley instinctively in the first half of the match.
“I don’t think he was doing anything special to be up a set and a break. Once, I found my service rhythm, the momentum changed.
“I was able to take him away from his comfort zone. I don’t think I have ever sliced my backhand return. But, I was doing it today,” said the 36-year-old Bopanna, who last played Davis Cup singles in 2012 against Uzbekistan.
“I got a call from Saketh at 8 a.m. He had not recovered and I was the only option,” said Bopanna, about the sudden call for singles national duty.
It was memorable for the few hundred people who came to watch the matches. Leander Paes and company, led by captain Anand Amritraj, provided a fitting climax with an unforgettable dance sequence that won everyone’s hearts.
The results:
India bt Korea 4-1 [Rohan Bopanna bt Chung Hong 3-6, 6-4, 6-4; Ramkumar Ramanathan lost to Yong-Kyu Lim 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(2)].
