Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan saved three match points in a tense thriller to prevail against a struggling Danish pair of Frederik Nielsen and Mikael Torpegaard. This helped India maintain their place in Davis Cup World Group I by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the play-off game in New Delhi on Saturday.
Davis Cup: Rohan Bopanna-Divij Sharan defeated the Danish doubles team in three sets to seal the tie for India (Twitter Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- India took an unassailable 3-0 lead by winning the doubles
- Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan defeated the Danish doubles team in three sets
- The tense win kept India in World Group I
Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan defeated the Danish doubles team in three sets as India took an unassailable 3-0 lead with the doubles win to confirm their place in World Group 1 of the Davis Cup this year.
Sharan, who drew his first Davis Cup tie since February 2019, and Bopanna came from behind to win 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4) in an hour and 58 minutes. The tense victory ensured India will remain in World Group I for the 2022 season, while Denmark will now return to World Group II.
Sharan stayed in play in the 12th game of the decider and faced three match points, but the Indian team kept their nerve to save everyone, two of them on the second serve to force a final tie-breaker in which they earned one raced 4-1 up and sealed the win when Torpegaard returned Bopanna’s serve.
This is India’s first win since beating Pakistan 4-0 in November 2019 when Rohit Rajpal took over as non-playing captain. After that, India lost away to Finland (1:3) and Croatia (1:3).
The reverse singles have now become irrelevant.
Bopanna’s big serve was at work from the start, starting with three consecutive aces for an easy hold. Torpeggard and Nielsen were also sharp and solid, even as Sharan’s serve was pressured.
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