Leander Paes hugs Rohan Bopanna after winning doubles match against Ninad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac of Serbia.
The pair of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna kept India afloat with a stirring five-set win over Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac in the crucial doubles match of the Davis Cup World Group playoff tie here yesterday. Down by two sets and by a break in the third, the Indians rallied to win 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3, 8-6, in two hours, 58 minutes as the Serbs lost their early flow after Zimonjic suffered neck spasms that restricted his movements. The emotional doubles victory evoked memories of the playoff tie in Chennai four years ago when India, after losing both the singles on the first day against Brazil, came through 3-2. Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had won the crucial doubles tie and India went on to claim both the reverse singles. Saturday’s doubles match provided much drama as the Serbs, leading 3-2 in the third set, suffered a setback as the 38-year-old Zimonjic required medical attention to his neck. The break proved to be the turning point as the rejuvenated Indians came surging back to turn a near defeat into victory.If both Bopanna (34) and Paes (41) appeared tentative and like a couple of kids lost in the woods early on, the break in the third set seemed to fire both. Though neither played consistently at a high level they are capable of, they did just enough to break the Serbian combination that was virtually reduced to one man with Zimonjic struggling with a painful neck.“I felt spasms in the neck after I played a forehand shot a couple of points earlier. After that, I just couldn’t turn my head without feeling the pain. “I missed a lot of shots that I wouldn’t have, and it was frustrating that I couldn’t stretch. I also lost my serve in the fourth set and the Indians played freely,” said Zimonjic, though he said the defeat would not affect his team. Indian pair looked out of sorts and ill at ease against the Serbs for whom veteran Zimonjic led from the front with a series of brilliant netplay and crafty placements while Bozo provided the firepower.
