India draw level, Brazil concede first reverse singles

CHENNAI - Brazil’s top tennis player Thomaz Bellucci fell a victim to the city’s infamous heat and humidity as he conceded his reverse singles match to Somdev Devvarman, helping India tie 2-2 in the Davis Cup World Group playoff here Sunday.

Devvarman led 7-6 (3), 4-0 when the 22-year old Bellucci, ranked 27th, walked up to the net and shook hands with the Indian.

The fate of the tie now hinges on the second reverse singles between Rohan Bopanna and Ricardo Mello scheduled for later this afternoon when the conditions are bound to be far more oppressive.

The first reverse singles lasted a mere one hour, 26 minutes. It became quickly clear that Bellucci, who had survived a five-setter against Bopanna in the opening singles Friday, was struggling to cope with the mid-day sun blazing down and humidity adding to his discomfiture.

The first set took a lot out of Bellucci as he fought hard to save three breakpoints in the ninth game. Devvarman, playing far more freely, blasted winners on either flanks and looked more at ease with the conditions he was familiar with, having done his schooling in the city.

After games went with serve in the first set, the decisive moment came in the tie-break in which Devvarman, ranked 113, raised his game even as Bellucci showed first signs of fatigue. The Indian clinched it at three for a 1-0 lead.

Unlike in the first singles when Bellucci came back from 2-5 in the fifth set to clinch it 10-8 against Bopanna after receiving medical attention for cramps in his right foot, this time he just did not have the energy to continue after losing the tie-break.

In the second set, it was Devvarman all the way while Bellucci’s game swiftly went downhill. It was not long before he conceded the match.

The result vindicated Devvarman’s choice of surface (hardcourt) and venue for the tie, keeping in mind that the Brazilians are better known as clay court specialists who might not be able to withstand Chennai’s heat and humidity.

Last year, India opted for Chennai for their Davis Cup tie against Australia, scheduled for May when temperatures rise to beyond 40 degrees celsius. The Aussies pulled out citing security concerns.