Press Trust of India
Chandigarh, July 15: Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan endured challenging conditions to wear down their spirited rivals as India took a comfortable 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie against South Korea here Friday.
It seemed bizarre but both Ramkumar and Myneni saw their opponents conceding when the Indians were serving for their respective matches.
The 21-year-old Ramkumar, ranked 217, put the hosts ahead on his Davis Cup debut when Seong Chan Hong conceded the first singles due to cramps in his right thigh as the Indian was serving for the match.
After battling hard for two hours and 36 minutes, Ramkumar was leading 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-5 (15-15) when Hong suddenly clenched his right thigh and grimaced in pain, bringing about a sudden end to the match at the Chandigarh Club here.
The onus to bring Korea back into the tie was on the most experienced player of the side, Yong-Kyu Lim, but Myneni dashed their hopes with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 5-2 (15-15) win to set India up nicely. Lim conceded at 15-all in the eighth game after fighting hard for 189 minutes.
The second singles was littered with medical timeouts and a long toilet break as both players started to struggle with cramps from the fourth set onwards.
The hot and humid conditions tested fitness of the players even as the Koreans negotiated the grass courts, on which they hardly play, quite well. They had done their homework and made life tough for both Ramkumar and Myneni.
Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes will look to wrap up the tie when they face Hong Chung and Yunseong Chung here Saturday.