Davis Cup: Cho was too good for me, says Ranjeet

New Delhi - It was a bad start to Ranjeet Virali Murugesan’s Davis Cup career as his South Korean opponent Min Hyeok Cho proved too good for the Indian in the first match of the Group I Asia/Oceania first round tie here Friday.

Cho beat Ranjeet 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 on the hardcourts of the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium.

“I thought I played a decent match but he was extraordinary. I started feeling better as the match went on, unlike the scoreline suggests. I tried my best but he was way better,” Ranjeet, ranked 511, said in the post-match press conference.

“At the start, I had butterflies in my stomach, this being my first ever Davis Cup match while my opponent already has Davis Cup experience. So he is familiar with the conditions and atmosphere.”

Ranjeet added that he tried to mix up things up but they proved futile in front of the 26-year-old Korean.

“I played good shots but he had better passes. He had a return for every shot of mine. There are days when things just don’t work for you and this was one of them. I don’t feel bad because I thought I played well but he was just way better.

“I tried to mix it up you know; give lobs, drops but nothing worked. He also played some unbelievable passes. I will try my best and work on my serve for the reverse singles Sunday,” added the 27-year-old who plays his reverse singles match against Suk-Young Jeong.

Cho said that he expected the match to be tougher considering Ranjeet was a higher ranked player.

“It was a little bit easier than what I had expected. Since my opponent was ranked higher than me I tried to play longer and extend the match trying to give my best on every point. I was a little bit nervous in the beginning but once I settled down I forced Ranjeet to commit errors.”