Davis Cup 2020, Qualifiers: India off to a winning start against Pakistan, lead 2-0 at the end of Day 1
The Indian tennis team led by Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sumit Nagal have all but sealed a win against Pakistan by clinching their opening two matches of the Davis Cup Group Qualifiers tie.
India and Pakistan are playing amid harsh weather conditions at the National Tennis Center in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The tie has been delayed by nearly three months due to security concerns and cross-border tensions between the two countries.
The first day was a very one-sided affair as the Pakistani players could barely put up any resistance. The two singles matches were completely dominated by Ramanathan and Nagal as they took down Muhammad Shoaib and Huzaifa Abdul Rehman respectively.
In the first match, Ramanathan was way too powerful for Shoaib, the 17-year-old Davis Cup debutant. In fact, the teenager could not get a single game on the board and got double-bagelled by the big-serving Ramanathan.
In the second match, it was Nagal's turn to get his first win at the Davis Cup as Abdul Rehman had no answer to the Indian's prowess on the court. Nagal, who made Roger Federer break into a sweat in the first round of the US Open this year by taking a set off the great man, was in sharp form and brushed aside the challenge from the Pakistani swiftly.
While he served a bagel in the first set, Abdul Rehman managed to clinch two games in the second before Nagal closed out the match 6-0, 6-2.
With Pakistan's top players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan giving the Kazakhstan trip a miss owing to conflicts with the ITF regarding the tie, the Pakistani side looked like punching bags right from the start.
India, who haven't lost a tie to Pakistan in six meetings, would expect Day 2 to progress similarly as the duo of Leander Paes and debutant Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan look to seal the deal.
If all goes to plan and Paes does get the win tomorrow, he will extend his own record of most doubles wins at the Davis Cup. The Indian veteran currently has 43 doubles wins in his career.
Also Checkout: The Davis Cup 2020 Qualifiers Schedule
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