India badly missed Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuapthi as Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand a 2-1 lead to top seeds and defending champions Serbia in the Davis Cup World Group first round tie, in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Saturday.
Indian Davis Cuppers Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna advanced to doubles quarter-finals in different ATP Challenger events after hard-earned victories. Somdev and his American partner Ryan Harrison overcame the challenge of local pair Ilija Cuic and Kresimir Ritz 7-6(3), 6-2 in the first round of the US $50,000 Zagreb event in Croatia.
Carrying forward their good work at the Davis Cup, India's Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna have qualified for the BNP Paribas Open, an ATP Masters tournament in Indian Wells on Thursday.
India took the opening day's honours in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against South Africa in Johannesburg on Friday, with Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna winning the opening singles. While Somdev overwhelmed Izak Van der Merwe 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in the first singles, Bopanna rallied from a set down to beat South Africa's No 1 Rik De Voest, ranked 189, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
Somdev Devvarman took just eight minutes to complete the unfinished business as he beat Ti Chen 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-2, 9-7 in the second singles to put India 2-0 ahead in the Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie in Indore on Saturday.
