Adil Kalyanpur played his part well in putting India past Thailand 2-1 in a group-A league match of the Asia Oceania junior Davis Cup under-16 tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex here on Monday.
Against a serious challenge, Adil did not drop a set either in singles or doubles after Siddhant Banthia was tamed in the first singles.
On a warm day, it could have been tricky for the host, but skipper Vishaal Uppal played his cards nicely, particularly in fielding the third player Megh Raj in the doubles. With Megh Raj trying to prove his worth, the Indian pair played a vibrant game to lead 6-3, 5-1 before missing two match-points and converting the contest into a thriller.
The tall and wiry Adil, improving with every outing in the international circuit in recent times, served solid and stroked with conviction to put India on par by stopping the energetic Tonkla Mulada 6-2, 6-4 in the second singles that lasted an hour and 40 minutes.
Earlier in the first singles, after the opening ceremony and the elaborate photo session with all the teams, Banthia looked a little subdued even though he opened out and played better in the second part of the match. There was no doubt that his opponent was a quality player.
A premature celebration, when Banthia thought that he had won the second set in the ninth game, before the chair umpire upheld the “out’’ call of the linesman, took the wind out of the young man’s confidence even though he did manage to force the tie-break.
It was no wonder that Uppal opted to infuse some energy into the contest by opting for Megh Raj in place of Banthia for the decisive doubles.
The thoughtful decision would also help Banthia conserve energy and be ready for the first singles on the morrow against Indonesia, which managed to win seven games in all against the top seeded country Japan.
The other seeded teams — China, Australia, Korea, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand and Hong Kong — won their matches.
The results (league):Group-A:India bt Thailand 2-1 (Siddhant Banthia lost to Noppadol Noikor 4-6, 6-7(3); Adil Kalyanpur bt Tonkla Mulada 6-2, 6-4; Adil & Megh Raj bt Natthayut Nithithananont & Noikor 6-3, 7-6(4)); Japan bt Indonesia 3-0.
Group-B: China bt Vietnam 2-1; Hong Kong bt Malaysia 2-1. Group-C: Korea bt Kazakhstan 2-1; New Zealand bt Syria 3-0. Group-D: Australia bt Philippines 3-0; Chinese Taipei bt Uzbekistan 3-0.
