Davis Cup: Up from the depths

It was baptism by fire for this gritty 20-year-old. After those gruelling three hours at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association synthetic court, Yuki Bhambri may have earned the right to live with the seniors. The conditions were humid and he was  two sets down. Mind you, the boy was playing in only his fourth Davis Cup tie for India. The situation tested both his skills and mettle. At the end of the five-set grind, Bhambri overwhelmed New Zealand’s Daniel King-Turner 3-6 0-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group I relegation play-off tie.

Meanwhile, Vishnu Vardhan was leading two sets to one against Kiwi No 1 Jose Statham when play was suspended owing to poor light. In fact, it was the visitors who refused to play under floodlights. “If Vishnu wraps it up quickly, then we’ll certainly go with our regular doubles team. But if he is stretched to the fifth set, we have no choice but to play Sanam Singh along with Divij Sharan,” coach Nandan Bal said.

The day belonged to Bhambri who started India’s campaign in overcast conditions. He matched Daniel stroke for stroke in the first six games. Bhambri was broken in the seventh game. Now, his rhythm had deserted him. Daniel’s booming serve was becoming increasingly tough to counter. Daniel sniffed his chance; he won the next 11 games to seize the first two sets.

The humidity, however, had started to take the steam out of Daniel. The Kiwi showed scant interest in the big rallies. Displaying remarkable maturity, the younger and fitter Bhambri stretched his experienced opponent by slowing down the pace.

The crowd roared in approval. It worked like magic for Bhambri, who broke Daniel twice to pocket the third set 6-2 in 41 minutes. When they returned for the fourth after a five-minute breather, Bhambri could sustain the momentum and broke the Kiwi in the very first game. The lead stayed with him for the entire 44-minute duration as he clinched the fourth set 6-4.

Daniel could never gather himself in the deciding set. Two breaks by Bhambri were enough to round off one of the most memorable wins of his career.

So, is he ready to fill in the places vacated by two sparring Indian tennis veterans? For now, he’s announced his arrival on the big circuit. He has done that with aplomb.

Results: India 1 (Yuki Bhambri bt Daniel King-Turner 3-6 0-6 6-2 6-4 6-2) vs New Zealand 0

Note: Vishnu Vardhan leads 6-2 6-7(5) 6-4 vs Jose Statham when bad light stopped play