Rio Olympic Doubles Gold medallist combination of Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez defeated the Indian duo of Leander Paes and Saketh Myneni 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
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India face an uphill battle when they take on former champions Spain in a Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium here from Friday.
Rafa, however, remained tight lipped on the chances of once again playing in India during the IPTL. The change in lineup was later confirmed on the Davis Cup website.
There were, however, moments in the opening rubber between Ramanathan and Lopez where the young Indian gave enough glimpses of his sheer talent and grit.
Asked if he would play in the IPTL next year, Nadal said: “I’m playing IPTL but I don’t know if I am playing for India”. Moya’s replacement Gala Leon was sacked within a year after a players’ revolt and Spanish tennis was further embarrassed as the team crashed out to an understrength Russian Federation in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I last year under new captain Conchita Martinez.
Feliciano opined that although Paes will be playing alongside a relatively inexperienced partner in Myneni, the Olympic bronze medallist is still a unsafe customer due to his vast experience. It was a matter of couple of points here and there.
The missed chances cost Nagal as Lopez served out the set with a backhand volley victor. Advantage India now, game point to Myneni.
However, according to his replacement Feliciano Lopez, who won 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in two hours, 25 minutes, it wasn’t a last-minute decision.
Spain, who had taken an unassailable 3-0 lead after the doubles Day Two, made it a clean sweep when Ramkumar Ramanathan went down 2-6, 2-6 against world no. 3 David Ferrer.
Ramkumar took a medical time-out during the third set, raising suspicion if he is buckling, but did something that brought the house down by breaking Lopez in the eighth game.
The first three games went with the serve with both teams holding their serve at love.
Into the third set, the Indian pair lost the momentum when Paes dropped serve in the third game. Paes then held his serve in the next game to increase India’s lead.
Nagal was clearly suffering from fitness problems and was struggling with his returns as a result.
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Feeding off the energy of the crowd, the Indians hit back in the seventh game, putting pressure on Lopez’s serve thanks to some excellent returns by Paes before clinching the service break. But Lopez soon gained ground and showcased his superiority in the final set of the match. The 20-member squad, which includes the likes of 14-time Grand Slam victor Rafael Nadal and World No.13 David Ferrer, got down to business straight away after landing in the capital in the morning, taking to the courts at the DLTA complex for a practice session in evening.
