Davis Cup: Balaji-Bollipalli lose close doubles; Switzerland stay alive

Biel (Switzerland), Sep 13 (PTI) India's N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli lost a tight doubles rubber to Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker in the World Group I tie against Switzerland as the hosts kept themselves afloat in the race for Davis Cup Qualifiers, here Saturday.

Balaji and Bollipalli lost 7-6 (3) 4-6 5-7 in two hours and 26 minutes, and India now need to win one of the two reverse singles.

Dhakshineshwar Suresh and Sumit Nagal had given India a handsome 2-0 advantage on Friday by winning their singles matches against Jerome Kym and Marc-Andrea Huesler respectively.

Nagal will now take on Kym in first reverse singles.

Balaji and left-handed Stricker served extremely well at the beginning, holding their serves without losing a single point. Big serves followed by quick volley winners was a routine pattern.

The first point that India lost was through a double fault from Bollipalli. The Indians put Paul's serve under pressure with some thoughtful returns but the Swiss managed to hold after playing a deuce point.

The Indians earned three break points on Stricker's serve in game six and converted the third when Stricker hit a forehand on net, following a tremendous baseline exchange with Balaji.

Balaji's overhead smash at 40-0 in next game gave India a commanding 5-3 lead in the opening set.

Serving for the opening set, a forehand return error from Balaji at 30-all gave the Swiss team a break back chance and Paul converted it by placing a winner between the two Indians.

It was a tight tie-breaker with teams locked 3-3 but Paul's consecutive unforced errors turned it in India's favour.

The second set remained a tight affair with both teams locked 4-4 as they came through some testing moments.

Balaji had a great chance to earn a decisive breakpoint at 30-all in game nine, but he missed a volley. Paul's forehand return landed just wide on deuce, giving India a break chance soon, but Stricker's crushing forehand return just kissed the baseline.

An intense battle ensued as the two teams played six deuce points but eventually Paul held his serve when Balaji's desperate return sailed over the baseline.

Bollipalli was broken at love in the next game and it was one-set all.

Any early break put India in an advantageous position but Bollipalli again faced break point when Paul found an angled winner at 30-30. The Indian managed to hold after pulling off aces on three deuce points.

Stricker found a service return winner on Balaji's serve to earn a break back chance and the double fault by Balaji made it 3-3.

Serving to stay in the match, Bollipalli began with a double fault and followed that up with a backhand error. Paul's forehand winner earned the hosts three match points. They converted when Bollipalli's return fell on net.

The last time India beat a European side in an away tie was back in 1993 when Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan led the team to a 3-2 win over France in the quarterfinals.

Since the turn of the century, India have lost away ties to Sweden (2024), Denmark (2023), Norway (2022), Finland (2021), Croatia (2020), Italy (2019), Serbia (2018, 2011), Canada (2017), Russia (2010), Romania (2008), Sweden (2005), Netherlands (2003), and Sweden (2000).

India beat Denmark, though, at home on grass court in 2022 in New Delhi. PTI AT AT PDS PDS