Serbia take Day One honours
14 Sept 2014 4:07 AM IST
Even a second-string Serbia proved a mighty opponent as Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman suffered crushing singles defeats to leave India trailing 0-2 on the opening day of the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie on Friday.
Serbia, who are here without their top stars, dominated the proceedings to comfortably place themselves at the drivers’ seat as they exposed the weakness of Indian players at this level.
India decided to host the tie at high-altitude conditions to take advantage but it was the Serbian players who came out as masters.Yuki Bhambri was thrashed 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 by Serbian number one Dusan Lajovic in the opening singles, which lasted two hours and four minutes at the KSLTA stadium.
The onus to bring India back into the tie was on Somdev and he was his usual fighting self but could not prevent the Serbians consolidating the lead as he lost the second singles 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 after battling for two hours and 23 minutes against Filip Krajinovic, ranked 37 places above him at 107.
Somdev could never execute his baseline defence as Krajinovic paced the match well with quick points. Serving well was key in his success as he opened the court with ease for winners. Somdev, who likes to pin the opponent on baseline, could not play to his strength as he kept firing short and the Serbian dismissed those without any fuss.
Krajinovic stood out with his forehand, set up by his serve, and well-calculated drop shots. He closed the match in tremendous fashion, firing an ace. Now, if India are to stay in the hunt, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna must win tomorrow’s doubles against Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac.
Unforced errors cost me, says Yuki
Yuki Bhambri, who failed to rise to the occasion and suffered a straight-set bashing at the hands of Dusan Lajovic in the opening singles, on Friday said unforced errors and failure to push the opponent hard had done in him in the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie here.
‘I felt I did not push him enough in the first two sets. I had the lead, but overall I had a really bad game, committing a lot of errors on the forehand side,’ he told reporters at the post-match press conference.
‘I could not push him enough after gaining a lead. I could not stay out there. He made me work hard and made me do a lot more. I did not win long rallies, and that is where I fell short,’ he said.
Asked whether he faced any difficulty in controlling the ball due to altitude factor, Yuki said it is always tough to play in Bangalore where controlling shots is an issue. ‘It did in fact, but that was something which I had always back at the mind. It is always tough playing in Bangalore where you can’t control your shots,’ he said.
Serbia, who are here without their top stars, dominated the proceedings to comfortably place themselves at the drivers’ seat as they exposed the weakness of Indian players at this level.
India decided to host the tie at high-altitude conditions to take advantage but it was the Serbian players who came out as masters.Yuki Bhambri was thrashed 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 by Serbian number one Dusan Lajovic in the opening singles, which lasted two hours and four minutes at the KSLTA stadium.
The onus to bring India back into the tie was on Somdev and he was his usual fighting self but could not prevent the Serbians consolidating the lead as he lost the second singles 1-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 after battling for two hours and 23 minutes against Filip Krajinovic, ranked 37 places above him at 107.
Somdev could never execute his baseline defence as Krajinovic paced the match well with quick points. Serving well was key in his success as he opened the court with ease for winners. Somdev, who likes to pin the opponent on baseline, could not play to his strength as he kept firing short and the Serbian dismissed those without any fuss.
Krajinovic stood out with his forehand, set up by his serve, and well-calculated drop shots. He closed the match in tremendous fashion, firing an ace. Now, if India are to stay in the hunt, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna must win tomorrow’s doubles against Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac.
Unforced errors cost me, says Yuki
Yuki Bhambri, who failed to rise to the occasion and suffered a straight-set bashing at the hands of Dusan Lajovic in the opening singles, on Friday said unforced errors and failure to push the opponent hard had done in him in the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie here.
‘I felt I did not push him enough in the first two sets. I had the lead, but overall I had a really bad game, committing a lot of errors on the forehand side,’ he told reporters at the post-match press conference.
‘I could not push him enough after gaining a lead. I could not stay out there. He made me work hard and made me do a lot more. I did not win long rallies, and that is where I fell short,’ he said.
Asked whether he faced any difficulty in controlling the ball due to altitude factor, Yuki said it is always tough to play in Bangalore where controlling shots is an issue. ‘It did in fact, but that was something which I had always back at the mind. It is always tough playing in Bangalore where you can’t control your shots,’ he said.
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