Paes-Bhupathi outclass Russian pair to keep India alive

MOSCOW - Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi gave a quick lesson to Teimuraz Gabashvili and Igor Kunitsyn in the doubles play to keep India alive in the Davis Cup World Group first round against Russsia at the Luzhniki arena here Saturday.

India needed to win the doubles to stay in the tie after losing both their singles matches on the opening day Friday. And the famed Indian pair did not disappoint, winning their 24th Davis Cup match on the trot, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, in an hour and a half. It was scintillating stuff as the Indians showed their courtcraft and fluent strokeplay.

Down 1-2, India have a tough task Sunday as they have to win both the reverse singles if they would be causing a sensational turnaround.

India’s No. 1 Somdev Devvarman plays Russia’s top ranked player, World No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny, in the first reverse singles and Rohan Bopanna takes on Igor Kunitsyn in second.

Paes and Bhupathi dominated the scene the way they did when they played together on the circuit, winning ten Grand Slam doubles titles between them. The two combined exceptionally well and while Paes leapt like a leopard at anything that came his side of the net, Bhupathi was solid from the backcourt with his backhand returns. The two served well and the closest they came to dropping it was when they saved a breakpoint in the second set.

Gabashvili was the better of the two Russians, serving big and hitting solid groundstrokes. Kunitsyn, who beat Somdev in a four-setter in the first rubber, had no clue as to what the Indians were doing and to make matters worse for him his service also let him down. And it is Kunitysn’s serve Paes and Bhupathi attacked.

The Indian s broke Kunitsyn’s serve in the fourth game to take a swift 1-3 lead in the first set. The two volleyed remarkably well and Paes with a sharp interruption at the net gave India the break.

The Indians consolidated the break when Bhupathi held his serve in the next game and were soon up a set.

The fired up veteran Indian pair then cruised to a 4-0 lead in the second set before Gabashvili held to give Russians their first game in the set. The Indians would have closed the set in the seventh game, where they had a break point and forced four deuces but Kunitsyn this time managed to hold. Paes then served out the set.

With two sets down, it was all over for the Russians when Gabashvili was broken straightway in the third set and they never looked like fighting back.