Sumit Nagal had to be content with a runner-up finish at the ATP Tulln Challenger event after losing the singles title clash in straight sets to Czech Republic's Vit Kopriva, in Tulln on Sunday.
Australia's bad boys of tennis Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic have been named in the Davis Cup squad for the World Group playoff against Slovakia after bowing out of the US Open in typical controversy.
Ageing tour warrior Lleyton Hewitt ushered Australia into the Davis Cup semi-finals on Sunday, trouncing Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-3 in the decisive singles rubber against Kazakhstan.
Bernard Tomic ground down Jack Sock 7-6(2), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to level Australia's Davis Cup first round tie with the United States at 1-1 in Melbourne on Friday.
Russia, losing finalists to the US last year, also went 2-0 up on day one, helped by misfortune in the Serbian camp.
Bopanna being the highest-ranked doubles player in the country is automatic choice for the doubles rubber.
India to host Italy on grass in Kolkata
Team India lauds Yuki Bhambri, hero of match against New Zealand.
India's top singles player Yuki Bhambri and Asian Games gold-medallist Divij Sharan have pulled out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Serbia due to injuries while Sumit Nagal has refused to join the team as a stand-by.
Rohan Bopanna and debutant N Sriram Balaji were clinical in routing their rivals as India sealed the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie against Uzbekistan by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
India will now face world number two Croatia for the Qualifiers in an away tie
John Isner and Sam Querrey used their big serves to blast the United States into a commanding 2-0 lead over Brazil in their Davis Cup World group first round tie on Friday.
The 21-year-old Coric came from two sets to one down to defeat the 20-year-old debutant Tiafoe 6-7(0), 6-1, 6-7(11), 6-1, 6-3 and finally subdue a remarkable fightback from the Americans, who had earlier levelled the tie 2-2 from two down.
India's Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali on Sunday said it was good for home team players to have got the chance to test themselves in the tie against Chinese Taipei but felt that Saketh Myneni needs to develop fast as a big player if they are to win matches against tough opponents.
In an email to the ITF on Monday, AITA chief Hironmoy Chatterjee said India had full confidence the ITF and Pakistan Tennis Federation would organise an "excellent" Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie but said more security checks might be in order.
Senior pro Leander Paes's place in the Indian Davis Cup team will be up for discussion when the AITA Selection Committee meets on Monday to pick the squad for the upcoming Asia/Oceania Zone tie against Uzbekistan.
The new-look Davis Cup, masterminded by Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique, has the potential to rival golf's Ryder Cup as a sporting spectacle, the tennis competition's organisers say.
Leander Paes makes a return to the country's Davis Cup team as India named a four-member squad for the World Group play-off tie at home against top seeds Czech Republic from September 18-20.
Davis Cup holders Britain edged into a 2-1 lead in Serbia after Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot won Saturday's doubles.
Yuki Bhambri opted out of the upcoming Davis Cup match against Korea Republic after failing to recover from an elbow injury. His withdrawal will hand Ramkumar Ramanathan his debut in men's tennis' premier international team event.
US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz crashed to defeat on his debut as world number one, losing to Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in their Davis Cup Finals group-stage clash on Friday.
India were drawn against their Pakistan for an away Asia-Oceania Zone Group 1 fixture.
'The team will be chosen the day before the draw. I am not sure who is going to play doubles. I am not sure if I am going to have any doubles players at all but whatever needs to win I will make sure that happens'
Divij Sharan, who was a reserve in the Indian Davis Cup team, has decided not to travel for the away tie against China, a move which may soon pave the way for introduction of a code of conduct for players.
The All India Tennis Association decided against seeking a change of venue for the Davis Cup tie versus Pakistan in Islamabad, scheduled on September 14 and 15.
Murray, who underwent hip surgery in January, won the European Open in Antwerp last month but the three-time Grand Slam champion is the lowest-ranked singles player in the British team at 126 behind Dan Evans (42) and Kyle Edmund (69).
India are one win away from securing a berth in the World Group play-offs after Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni defeated Hyung-Taik Lee and Lim Yong-Kyu in the crucial doubles match of their second round Asia/Oceania Group I tie against Korea, in Busan on Saturday.
A total of 24 teams will play in the knockout Qualifiers on February 1 and 2 to decide which 12 teams will play the year-end Finals.
A final decision is expected by March based on the hosting and COVID-19 contingency proposals received from bidders.
British pair Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot defeated Canadians Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in four sets in Ottawa to give Britain a 2-1 lead ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
Nick Kyrgios eased past John Isner 7-5, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a duel of big servers to fire Australia to a 2-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup quarter-final in Brisbane on Friday.
Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray carried Britain to the brink of a Davis Cup semi-final berth after they beat France in the doubles rubber to take a 2-1 lead ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
A round-up of results from Davis Cup matches played on Saturday and Sunday
Teeanger Borna Coric completed an unlikely comeback for Croatia as the small Balkan nation beat the United States 3-2 in a Davis Cup quarter-final in Oregon on Sunday.
Paes' inclusion under cloud as Indian team readies for a shake-up
A 'hybrid model' to host next year's Champions Trophy in Pakistan remains an option as India's participation cannot be decided by the ICC if there is a government policy against it, a source in the governing body's all-powerful executive board told PTI on Friday.
Holders Czech Republic took a 2-1 lead over hosts Serbia in the Davis Cup final after Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek romped to a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac in Saturday's doubles.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government will not have any say on whether India should participate in next month's Davis Cup tie in Pakistan as the event is not a bilateral engagement.
The centre-back was at the Madrid Open earlier this week, reportedly to discuss a 16-team knockout tournament with ATP Tour chief Chris Kermode. It would potentially replace the former World Team Cup event on the ATP calendar that was played from 1975 to 2012 ahead of Roland Garros.
In Paes's absence, seasoned Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni will do the doubles duty in the July 17-19 tie, to be held in Christchurch.
