With no combination of teams: India wins Davis cup tie against Pakistan
India sealed Qualifiers spot with victory over Pakistan 4-0 in the Asia/Oceania tie played at a neutral venue due to political tensions between the two countries.
Veteran star Leander Paes bettered his own Davis Cup record by winning his 44th doubles match along with debutant Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan as India took an unassailable 3-0 lead against Pakistan and victory 4-0 in the Asia/Oceania tie played at a neutral venue due to political tensions between the two countries.
Pakistan teenagers Mohammed Shoaib and Hufaiza Abdul Rehman were no match for the Indian combination of battle-hardened Paes and Jeevan, who needed just 53 minutes to win 6-1, 6-3. Hufaiza and Shoaib began with a hold of serve in the opening game but the Indian pair broke the teenagers in the third game before holding their own for a 3-1 lead.
Unluckily, Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) was forced to pick two rookie 17-year-olds for its Davis Cup encounter against a full-strength Indian squad, after senior players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan pulled out of the tie as a protest against the tie being shifted to a neutral venue.
Paes and Jeevan then took control of the match with another break of serve in the fifth game. Jeevan served a double fault at 30-15 but that didn't deter India from zooming to a 5-1 lead.
Serving to stay in the set, Shoaib was down 0-40, giving India three chances to close the opening set. Paes and Jeevan grabbed the second.
The Indians had a few chances to break their rivals early in the second set but the Pakistani duo held its nerves. There was some fight in the second set, which was locked at 3-3.
Paes and Jeevan got a break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and the former served out the match in the next.
Leander Paes and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan booked India's place in the Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers after defeating Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Muhammad Shoaib 6-1 6-3 in Nur-Sultan on Saturday.
The win ensured victory for India in the tie against Pakistan and as such they will have a chance to compete in next year's Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals.
India progresses to the Qualifiers, which take place on March 6-7 next year, where they will face two-time Davis Cup champions Croatia.
Asked about his team's next tie, India captain Rohit Rajpal said:
"You don't win Davis Cup unless you're a strong team so it's a challenge for us, but the way the boys are going, and I've seen the energy of the boys, it's not going to be easy to welcome us for any team in the world."
The 12 winners of the Qualifiers will join the six teams that have already booked their place in the Davis Cup Finals - Spain, Canada, Great Britain, Russia, France and Serbia.
India completed a 4-0 win after Sumit Nagal defeated Yousef Kalil 6-1 6-0 in 32 minutes. Pakistan's young team might have only won seven games through four matches against India but they will have benefitted from competing at a higher level.
