November 22, 2024 23:43 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Centre to send over 10,000 additional soldiers to violence-hit Manipur amid fresh violence | Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed during encounter with security forces in Sukma | Baba Siddique murder case: Arrested Akashdeep Gill used a labourer's hotspot to evade tracking, say police | Donald Trump picks 'smart and tough' Pam Bondi as new US Attorney General after Matt Gaetz withdraws | Canadian government denies media report that claims PM Modi knew of Khalistani leader Nijjar's killing
Kolkata: Italy beat India 3-1 to enter the main round of Davis Cup Tennis
Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/ IBNS

Kolkata: Italy beat India 3-1 to enter the main round of Davis Cup Tennis

| @indiablooms | 02 Feb 2019, 12:46 pm

Kolkata, Feb 2 (IBNS): Italy moved into the main round of the Davis Cup tennis as they beat India  3-1 on the second day of the qualifier held at Calcutta South Club grass courts  here Saturday.

After both Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prjnesh Gunneswaran lost their matches in the first two singles against Andreas Seppi and Mattio Berrittini respectively on Friday, Indian doubles pair Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan raised some hope for the hosts this morning as they came from behind to beat Italian duo of Mattio Berrittini and Simone Bolleli 4/6, 6/3 and 6/4.

But in the first of the reverse singles, India’s Gunneswaran failed to live up to the expectation and cheaply lost to Andreas Seppi 6/1 and 6/4  providing an unassailable lead to Italy.

India will now have to play and win a qualifier again for advancing into the final round of Davis Cup.

The Italians on Saturday started from where they ended and  won the tight first set of the doubles match breaking Bopanna’s service in the nineth game.

But the never say die Indbegan, with dogged determination, in the second set and with some fine returns broke Italy in the 4th game and held their services to win the set 6/3.

Stung by the reverse, Italy went all out in the third set and forced a break in the 4th game to go 3-1 up in the set.

But the Indian pair combined well and broke back Italy’s service in the very next game. 

Inspired after forcing the break both Bopanna and Sharan displayed fine form to break  Italy again in the nineth game and held their won in the next  to  win the doubles in 103 minutes.

The victory in the doubles brought some hope to the Indian supporters, many of whom were waiting to see a repeat of earlier Davis Cup qualifying matches, where India after trailing 0-2, finally over came the challenges  3-2.

But that was not to be as 34 th ranked experienced Seppi broke Gunneswaran twice in the first set to win it 6-1 in 20 minutes.

The second set saw Gunneswaran putting up a brave fight which, however, was not enough to make any mark on the Italian who forced a break in the third game and  win the second set  6/4 in 42 minutes.

 

(Reporting by Manik Baanerjee)

 

 

Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/ IBNS
 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.