Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan puts India ahead 2-0 vs Korea in Davis Cup

Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan endured challenging conditions to wear down their spirited rivals as India took a comfortable 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Asia|Oceania group I Davis Cup tie against South Korea in Chandigarh on Friday.

It seemed bizarre but both Ramkumar and Myneni saw their opponents conceding when the Indians were serving for their respective matches.

The 21-year-old Ramkumar, ranked 217, put the hosts ahead in his Davis Cup debut when Seong Chan Hong conceded the first singles due to cramps in his right thigh as the Indian was serving for the match.

After battling hard for two hours and 36 minutes, Ramkumar was leading 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-5 (15-15) when Hong suddenly clenched his right thigh and grimaced in pain, bringing about a sudden end to the match at the Chandigarh Club. Since the rain has been lashing the city for the past few days, it made the grass soggy.

The surface was dry but it turned out to be a dead court where the ball hardly rose to the knee height. However, the surface improved when Myneni played as the ball was bouncing a lot better.

The onus to bring Korea back was on the most experienced player of the side, Yong-Kyu Lim, but Myneni dashed their hopes with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 5-2 win to set India up nicely. Lim conceded the match when Myneni was 15-15 and serving for the match in the eighth game.

It was after the two players fought tooth and nail for three hours and nine minutes.