Davis Cup 2022 | Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan record easy win against Denmark, India lead 2-0

03/04/2022

India took a 2-0 lead over Denmark in World Group I Play-off tie on Friday, with Yuki Bhambri returning to Davis Cup action with a dominant win and Ramkumar Ramanathan not even needing his 'A game' to emerge triumphantly. Ramkumar won 6-3, 6-2 victory against Christian Siggsgaard in first match.

Christian made it easy for the 170th-ranked Indian with his never-ending unforced errors in the 59-minute set. Yuki, who is competing in the Davis Cup for the first time since 2017, extended India's advantage in the second singles with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Mikael Torpegaard, who served and stroked confidently to put the Indian camp on edge.

It was evident that India's decision to host Denmark on grass courts paid off, as the visitors were concerned by the low bounce. When Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan hit the court for the doubles match against Frederik Nielsen and Johannes Ingildsen on Saturday, they will try to seal the tie for India.

If India wins, they will retain their status in World Group I, and the reverse singles will be meaningless. Despite losing his serve in the first game, Torpegaard did not allow Yuki to have the upper hand.

Torpegaard did all he could to keep it from being a one-sided affair like the first singles, whether it was stroking from the baseline, serving, quick movement on both wings, and storming the net.

In the fourth game, he regained the break, and both players then played gripping tennis. Yuki broke his opponent once again in the ninth game and saved break chances in the tenth to finally edge out his opponent.

The first game of the second set was the most intensely contested of the day, with up to five deuce points. Ironically, it concluded with Torpegaard's double fault, putting a stop to all the Danish player's hard effort. With a hold in the next game, Yuki made it 2-0.

Yuki had another chance to break in the third game thanks to nicely placed forehand slices. When Torpegaard netted a half-volley, it only aided Yuki's case. From then on, it appeared to be a formality, but Torpegaard fought valiantly. Yuki dropped service in the eighth game when serving for the match, and the score was quickly changed from 4-1 to 5-4.

When Torpegaard couldn't return the ball with his backhand in the tenth game, Yuki served out the match and put an end to the drama. Christian struggled with his serve in the first singles, committing three double faults in the second game of the first set and behind by a breakpoint, which Ramkumar could not take advantage of.

For returns, Ramkumar generally employed backhand slices, and his service games were consistent. When Christian double-faulted at 30-all in the fourth game, he gave Ramkumar another break chance. After a protracted rally in which both players used their backhand slice stroke, Ramkumar ultimately won.

There were few times when the lanky Indian stormed the net, a strategy that was expected of him, but Christian's error-prone play made it simple for Ramkumar. In the seventh game, the Indians had three set points but were unable to convert any of them. In the next game, he secured the first set with a good serve that Christian was unable to return, netting a backhand.

Christian was the first to blink in the second set, going behind 0-40 in the third game. After a double fault, Ramkumar increased the pressure on his opponent with a sensational forehand crosscourt return winner. After that, Christian got a return.

When he shot a backhand long on the third breakpoint, the Danish player surrendered the break to the home player.

After failing to convert four match points in the previous game, Ramkumar finished the match with an ace in the eighth game.