New Delhi: Tennis aficionados had barely filled up the 4,000-seater RK Khanna Tennis Stadium when India won the Davis Cup World Group I playoff against Togo, blanking the African nation 4-0 here on Sunday.
Sasikumar Mukund and Ramkumar Ramanathan gave India a 2-0 lead on Saturday and N Sriram Balaji and debutant Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli barely took an hour to finish off proceedings quickly under the afternoon sun on Day 2, sealing India’s spot in World Group I, with the tie due to take place in September.
Balaji and Rithvik delivered that decisive win with clinical precision, defeating Hod’abalo Isak Padio and M’lapa Tingou Akomlo 6-2, 6-1 in the doubles rubber, ensuring India’s triumph.
Balaji and Rithvik fed off the energy of the home crowd at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) complex, seizing the initiative early, breaking their opponents’ serve in the fourth game of the first set before closing it out with another break in the eighth.
The second set was more one-sided as the Togolese pair struggled to hold serve, conceding breaks in the fourth and sixth games to hand India a dominant victory.
India’s non-playing captain, Rohit Rajpal, was thrilled with his team’s performance and emphasised how this win bodes well for the future of Indian tennis.
“The purpose here was to also get a few youngsters in the fold and get them on the bench and get them conditioned to Davis Cup pressures so that we start developing some good Davis Cuppers,” said Rajpal.
“They do well in any case on the Tour but like I said, it is a different ball game when you play in front of the home crowd. There are so many people expecting you to win and that brings different kinds of pressure.”
Historically, India has relied heavily on its doubles teams in Davis Cup ties, with legends like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna playing crucial roles over the years.
Rajpal lauded Balaji and Rithvik for showcasing the depth of India’s doubles ranks.
“Doubles was easy but there is a lot of expectations from the doubles players and I am extremely happy with the way Bala and Rithvik came all guns firing. Fantastic match today and I am hoping to build this team for the future which is able to take on the best in the world,” he added.
With the tie already secured, India fielded Karan Singh for the first reverse singles match against Padio. The 21-year-old started strong, breaking his opponent’s serve in the second game before comfortably closing out the first set.
Karan looked set for a routine victory as he raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set with a double break. However, he momentarily lost momentum dropping serve before regaining control to wrap it up 6-2, 6-3.
With the tie already decided in India’s favour, the fifth and final match was not played.
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