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Pressure on Taiwan as India go 2-1 up

Taiwan’s Yi Chu-huan, right, gestures as his compatriot Yang Tsung-hua looks on during their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 match against India in Kaohsiung yesterday. India won the doubles match 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2. PHOTO: SAM YEH, AFP

India’s undefeated Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes continued their winning streak in the doubles yesterday, giving their country a 2-1 lead against Taiwan in their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 clash.

The Indian duo scored a hard-fought victory against Yi Chu-huan and Yang Tsung-hua 6-4, 7-6 (7-0), 6-7 (2-7), 6-2 at the Yangming tennis center in Kaohsiung.

On Friday, Taiwan’s tennis ace Lu Yen-hsun stormed past Rohan Bopanna 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2, while India’s Somdev Dewarman beat Ti Chen 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in their first ever meeting.

The reverse singles will be played today.

Last year, India reached the World Group play-offs for the first time since 2005, but lost to Romania.

In Nonthaburi, Australia took a grip on their Asia-Oceania zone Group 1 Davis Cup clash with Thailand, winning the doubles rubber to grab a 2-1 lead.

Lleyton Hewitt wasn’t called on by captain John Fitzgerald despite the Australians losing one of the singles matches on Friday, which left the tie finely poised.

Instead, untried left-handers Chris Guccione and Carsten Ball were handed responsibility and they repaid Fitzgerald’s faith with a gutsy 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 win over Thai twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana.

“Our guys both served very well, they both have left-hand serves, their techniques and their rhythm is so good they can serve like that for a long time,” Fitzgerald said. “So you only get a very small number of chances against their serve. That’s what I hoped would happen and it did.”

On the opening day, Thai star upset Australian rookie Brydan Klein after Hewitt had earlier made short work of.

In the reverse singles today, Hewitt will take on Danai Udomchoke with Klein, or possibly the higher-ranked Guccione, starting against Kittipong Wachiramanowong.

Meanwhile, Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki of Japan won their doubles match yesterday to wrap up a 3-0 series win over China in their Asia-Oceania Group 1 clash.

Iwabuchi and Suzuki defeated China’s Zeng Shaoxuan and Zhang Ze 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 as Japan advanced to the the third round of the regional promotion/relegation playoff.

On Friday, Argentina, Russia and Croatia swept their singles to be on the verge of reaching the Davis Cup quarter-finals.

Former champions the US, Germany and France needed comebacks to even their ties, while all the drama in the politicized Sweden-Israel match at Malmo was on the court rather than off it.

Also, Spain looked like starting their title defense in the blockbuster first-round tie with Serbia yesterday after strong winds that damaged the temporary stadium in Benidorm subsided to allow repairs.

Argentina led the Netherlands 2-0, as did Russia over Romania and Croatia against Chile.

The Argentines, whose decade-long unbeaten run at home was ended by Spain in last year’s final, were given a scare when Juan Ignacio Chela took nearly four hours to beat unheralded Jesse Huta Galung 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2.

Juan Monaco responded to the home side’s shaky start by rubbing out Thiemo De Bakker 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1).

“Juan [Ignacio Chela’s] win calmed my nerves and I was able to play solid tennis from the start,” Monaco said. “I hope we can win the tie tomorrow in the doubles.”

Argentina should, but not in front of their usual raucous crowd.

After Juan Martin del Potro made himself unavailable and David Nalbandian withdrew sick, only about 1,500 attended the normally sold-out 14,000-seat Parque Roca Stadium.

“I expected more people,” Netherlands captain Jan Siemerink said.

There were more than 2,000 in Sibiu to back Romania, but the Russians were too good. Marat Safin beat a spirited Victor Crivoi 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4 and Mikhail Youzhny, picked ahead of Dmitry Tursunov, handled a disappointing Victor Hanescu 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 only two months after losing to him in Doha.

Romania won from 2-0 down when they last met Russia in 1997, but the odds are longer this time.

Without Fernando Gonzalez, Chile proved no match for hosts Croatia in Porec.

Mario Ancic beat former Olympic champion Nicolas Massu 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) and Marin Cilic earned his first Cup win at the expense of Paul Capdeville 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.

At Malmo, where city officials banned spectators from the heavily guarded Baltic Hall for fear of protests against Israel, the players produced a thrilling opening day’s play.

First, Sweden’s former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson returned from injury to beat Harel Levy 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 8-6, then Israel’s Dudi Sela outlasted Andreas Vinciguerra 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 to level the tie.

Johansson had been out of action since October because of a foot injury and he committed 65 unforced errors. But he made the final break at 7-6 in the fifth and served out.

“I’m completely exhausted. I emptied everything I had,” Johansson said with his left foot wrapped in ice.

Vinciguerra saved a match point at 5-4 in the fifth set, but lost serve at 9-9 and Sela finally held to end their duel.

In Ostrava, an impressive Jo-Wilfried Tsonga downed Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) for France to draw even with the Czech Republic after Tomas Berdych ruined Gilles Simon’s Cup debut 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

The tie between last year’s quarter-finalists was even, but Berdych still believed the Czechs would prevail.

“They may have a better team, but we’re more experienced in Davis Cup,” Berdych said.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Austria’s hopes of a first win over their German hosts was set back when Philipp Kohlschreiber downed Jurgen Melzer 6-7 (4/7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to even their tie at 1-1.

It was Kohlschreiber’s first win from two sets down.

Stefan Koubek beat German No. 1 Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in the opener.

In Birmingham, Alabama, Andy Roddick beat Marco Chiudinelli 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) for the US to draw with Switzerland.

Stanislas Wawrinka beat James Blake 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), but admitted the Swiss were still the heavy underdogs without the injured Roger Federer.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” Wawrinka said. “In the rankings they are better, but I knew I needed to win the first match. It was very tough. It was a very important match for the rest of the weekend.”
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