Delhi: With an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the Davis Cup fixture against Togo on Sunday, India secured a spot in the World Group I of the Davis Cup. The Indian pair of N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli registered a victory in straight sets in the play-off tie. Indian contingent started the second day of the tie with a 2-0 lead, and the team needed just a win to seal the contest.
The pair of Balaji and Bollipalli helped India ensure their entry into the World Group I betaing the duo of M'lapa Tingou Akomolo and Hod'abalo Isak Padio by 6-2, 6-1 in 57 minutes at the DLTA complex.
M'lapa Tingou Akomolo replaced Thomas Setodji for Togo due to an arm injury but the move didn’t work for them as he wasn’t able to hold any of his serves. Balaji was phenomenal with his serve and lost only one point on his serve during the fixture.
Indians earned the first break in the third game of the first set as the Indian pair kept their composure in a riveting rally which ended in Akomolo hitting a return over the baseline. The Indian pair then earned the lead of 3-1 and maintained the lead throughout the set to bag it.
The Indians continued their dominance yet again in the third set as well and pocketed the set in a short span of time. With the win, India took a 3-0 lead. India are likely to give youngster Karan Singh a Davis Cup debut with the result in the remaining matches not to affect much on their result of the tie.
