Taiwanese pair Lu Yen-hsun and Yang Tsung-hua rallied in their Davis Cup doubles match in Shanghai yesterday to beat China 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5) following a disastrous showing the previous day that saw singles defeats for each of them at the hands of Chinese opponents.
World No. 42 Lu and 308th-ranked Yang won the first two sets after timely breaks of the serve on the second day of the Asia/Oceania Group I match against Chinese rivals Gong Maoxin and Li Zhe.
The match at Shanghai’s Xianxia Tennis Center was stopped for 15 minutes after the opening set when Lu required treatment for a nosebleed.
Photo: Reuters
The Chinese duo re-established themselves in the next set, leading 4-1 at one point, before Lu and Yang came from behind to force several errors from their opponents.
Breaking twice and holding their serves, Lu and Yang pushed onward to a 6-5 lead, but Yang was later broken and the pair failed to clinch the match in a third-set tiebreaker.
With the score level at 6-6 in the fourth set, the players went into another tiebreaker, in which the Taiwanese pair missed two match points, but Lu and Yang finally won it 7-5 to capture a vital win that prevented the team from being eliminated.
Photo: CNA
Yesterday’s result means China needs to win just one of today’s two singles matches to progress to the next round.
On Friday, world No. 1 Rafa Nadal’s return helped Spain make a commanding start in their quest to regain the Davis Cup, but Novak Djokovic’s absence left holders Serbia surprisingly struggling against India.
Australian Open champion Djokovic, the best player in the world on current form, skipped his country’s World Group first-round tie against India to prepare for Indian Wells next week.
However, that decision could return to haunt Serbia, who ended the first day locked at 1-1 in Novi Sad.
After Viktor Troicki scraped past Rohan Bopanna, a player 600 rungs below him on the tennis ladder, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, India hit back when their highest-ranked player, Somdev Devvarman, stunned Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
The doubles, when Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac were scheduled to take on Devvarman and Bopanna, looked set to be a nervy affair for the hosts, who claimed their first Davis Cup triumph against France in Belgrade just three months ago.
Spain roared into a 2-0 opening day lead against Belgium in Charleroi, despite a late reshuffle in which Fernando Verdasco replaced the injured David Ferrer.
For most nations an injury to a player ranked sixth in the world would be a major blow, but with Nadal in the ranks and Verdasco, the world No. 9, as back-up, Spain captain Albert Costa has one of the easiest jobs going.
Verdasco beat Xavier Malisse 6-4, 6-3, 6-1, before Nadal, back in action for the first time since injuring himself in a quarter-final defeat by Ferrer at the Australian Open, flexed his muscles during a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 battering of Ruben Bemelmans.
The home crowd were offered little encouragement by their own players, but at least they got to see some explosive hitting from Nadal, who looked fresh and eager after his lay-off.
With Indian Wells and Miami on the horizon, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion was satisfied with his form in a smooth two-hour workout.
“I felt comfortable and I think that in general it was a pretty controlled match throughout,” Nadal said.
Spain, champions in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009, should wrap up the tie in the doubles, rendering today’s singles meaningless, but several of the other World Group first-round ties look set to go the distance.
The US and Chile, possible quarter-final opponents for Spain, were all square after the first day in Santiago.
Andy Roddick beat Nicolas Massu in four sets, but John Isner squandered a two-set lead against 165th-ranked Paul Capdeville, losing a grueling match 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
Germany and Croatia were tied at 1-1 in Zagreb, while World Group debutants Kazakhstan shared the opening day’s singles with the Czech Republic in Ostrava.
Former US Open semi-finalist Joachim Johansson, now ranked No. 749 in the world after terrible injury problems, helped Sweden take a 2-0 lead against a below-strength Russia in Boras.
He beat Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 after world No. 4 Robin Soderling crushed Igor Andreev.
Argentina were 2-0 to the good against Romania, although David Nalbandian is a doubt for the rest of the tie after injuring himself in a victory over Adrian Ungur.
France also led 2-0 against Austria inside an aircraft hangar at Vienna’s international airport.
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