One win from two matches would have made India feel good at the end of the day, but all it could manage was one set. First Dusan Lajovic and then Filip Krajinovic dismantled India with surgical precision to give Serbia a 2-0 lead on day one of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie here on Friday.
Playing a tactically-sound match, Lajovic bested Yuki Bhambri 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. As the warm afternoon sun gave way to a much cooler evening under lights, Krajinovic blunted Somdev Devvarman’s challenge 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Both Bhambri and Lajovic were initially tentative.
It seemed like a recce of sorts; for, much of the pre-match banter was dedicated to the high-bouncing surface and how it could all go awry if power and top spin were not combined well.
Lajovic found the right mix at the fag end of the first set; Bhambri didn’t throughout.
“It’s always tough playing in Bangalore,” said Bhambri after the defeat.
“You might not be able to control your shots and I think that’s what happened today. I also feel I might have given him a bit too much respect.”
But, Lajovic has much to like about his game. An elegant service motion and a neat one-handed backhand modelled on Pete Sampras and a second serve — may be not as good as his idol’s — but still effective.
After a break of serve in the eighth game of the first set, the World No. 61 took it on his eighth set-point. Once done, the second set was spent stamping his foot into the match. The set fell 6-2. But, this led to Lajovic switching off a bit and Bhambri pounced.
He raced ahead 4-1 and had a break point to stretch it to 5-1 and give himself a chance to serve it out, but squandered it.
In a nutshell
There was a particular moment, at 4-4 in the third set on the Bhambri serve. A shot from the Indian nicely sat up mid-court, waiting for an extravagant flourish from Lajovic.
But, it was treated to a load of top spin, pulling it back just in time for it to kiss the inside of the tramline and drift away for the winner. This was the match in a nutshell. The 22-year-old Serb played well within himself; not extravagant, but solid enough.
Krajonovic made up for all the aggression that Lajovic didn’t show.
Equally adept at the net as well as the baseline, he took the first set in a scamper — 6-1. While Devvarman did well to negate the bounce off the court, the balls instead sat up for Krajinovic to pick his spot and force through the winner. Also, his volleying left much to be desired.
In the second set, however, Devvarman gave himself a chance.
For a set and half, he was on even terms. A four-deuce game ended with him breaking for 2-1. Then a hold from 0-30 gave him a 3-1 lead. He went on to win the set 6-4, showing the kind of fight he is generally known for.
But it soon ended. After failing to open up the set while forcing Krajinovic to a couple of tough holds early on in the third, his confidence broke.
Frustrating
“I didn’t feel like I was volleying well,” Devvarman said.
“So I stayed behind on the baseline in the third and fourth sets. I knew Filip was a good player, but I wasn’t good enough. It was very frustrating because I set the points up well and created opportunities, but could not finish.”
The final set was a free fall. Devvarman lost serve in the very first game and didn’t seem like mounting a come back at all as he lost 6-2.
The opening day’s results give Serbia the chance to close out the tie on Saturday.
While Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic will be hoping for that, the Indian pair of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna would want to do everything to give Devvarman and Bhambri another chance to salvage it.
The results:
Serbia leads India 2-0 (Dusan Lajovic bt Yuki Bhambri 6-3, 6-2, 7-5; Filip Krajinovic bt Somdev Devvarman 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2).
