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Home , Dominic Inglot, Jamie Murray, Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Tennis in India

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BELGRADE: Britain’s , left, returns a ball as his doubles partner, , watches during their quarter-final doubles match against Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and Filip Krajinovic in Belgrade, Serbia, yesterday. — AP Doubles win gives Britain lead over Serbia

France lead Czechs 2-1 after doubles struggle

BELGRADE: Defending champions Great Britain took a one eye on the Rio Olympics. Lukas Rosol 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in just over three thing,” said Stepanek. 2-1 lead over hosts Serbia in their Davis Cup World Briton also opted out after claiming his hours. Mahut and Herbert took only 25 minutes to “One set doesn’t mean anything in these long rub- Group quarter-final in Belgrade yesterday. In the second second Wimbledon title at the All England Club at the cruise through the opening set on the hardcourt of the bers, we managed to come back and fought until the singles rubber, rescheduled from Friday due to heavy weekend. Ward can win the tie in the first rubber today Werk Arena in the eastern Czech steel hub of Trinec. end.” On Friday, the Czechs took a lead as world number rain, Dusan Lajovic defeated 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 to against Tipsarevic, but if the Serbian veteran wins then The Czechs recovered in the second set, making few- 78 Rosol stunned 10th-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 3- pull the hosts level. it will come down to a deciding match between er mistakes and taking a 3-0 lead which they converted 6, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4. But in Saturday’s doubles Jamie Murray and Dominic Edmund and Lajovic, the two teams’ highest-ranked into a 6-3 win. , ranked 21st, then swept 50th-ranked Inglot defeated Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic 6-1, players. The French pair regained their dominance again in Jiri Vesely 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 7-5 to put France level in his 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 to move Britain to within one win of Meanwhile, the world’s top doubles pair of Nicolas set three, winning 6-3, but the Czechs, led by 37-year- Davis Cup debut. In today’s reverse singles, Vesely is due the last four. In the first singles match on Friday Kyle Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert put France 2-1 ahead old veteran Stepanek, fought back in the fourth with to face Tsonga before Rosol takes on Pouille. The Czech Edmund had eased past Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. of the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group two breaks to one. Finally, Rosol lost his serve to love in Republic won the Davis Cup in 2012 and 2013, while Serbia, the 2010 champions, are without world number quarter-final yesterday. the first game of the last set and that was all the French France last lifted the trophy in 2001. The winner of the one , who pulled out of the quarter-final Wimbledon champions Mahut and Herbert, ranked needed to take the set 6-4. “I think we played a fantastic tie will face either the United States or Croatia in the after his shock third-round exit at Wimbledon and with first and second in the world, beat Radek Stepanek and game against the world’s best pair, we gave it every- semi-finals. — AFP Paes, Bopanna seal ’s Sock shocks Cilic Davis Cup play-off berth in Davis Cup q-final LOS ANGELES: rallied to stun Marin Cilic 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday NEW DELHI: and and put the United States on the road to a 2-0 lead over Croatia in their Davis Cup made an ideal start to their Olympic prepara- World Group quarter-final tie. The triumph for the 26th-ranked Sock over world tions as they sealed a Davis Cup world play-off number 12 Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, was followed by American John berth for India, winning the doubles rubber Isner’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Borna Coric. against South Korea in Chandigarh yesterday. The formidable doubles duo of Bob and can clinch the best-of-five The duo’s win gave India an unassailable 3-0 match tie on the outdoor hardcourt at Tualtin Hills Tennis Club in Portland, lead on the grass courts of the Chandigarh Oregon, yesterday. Club after the team won both the singles Croatians and are slated to take on the brothers, matches of the Asia/Oceania Group I tie. trying to push things to the reverse singles on Sunday. Sock fired 17 aces against Paes and Bopanna, who were chosen as a Cilic, who came into the tie trying to put behind him a five-set quarter-final loss doubles pair by India’s tennis association for to at Wimbledon. But having forced a decisive fifth set, the the Rio Games, outplayed the Korean pair of American surrendered an early break that appeared to set Cilic on his way. Seong Chan Hong and Hong Chung 6-3 6-4 6- Sock, however, broke back in the fifth game, and while he couldn’t convert 4. Bopanna, who had voiced his displeasure of three break points in the seventh, he gained the last break he needed in the “not being given a say” in choosing his ninth, when Cilic sent a high backhand wide. “A little bit disappointing Olympic partner, insisted he shared a good with that, just to lose that opportunity of getting that lead in the fifth set,” Cilic “on-court chemistry” with Paes. said. “When I gave him a chance to come back I felt that he started to play also “Chemistry was great. If it wasn’t good, we really well.” could not have got such convincing win. We Sock got a little shaky serving it out, double-faulting twice before surviving did not push much and just made sure that we two break points to seal the match after three hours and 13 minutes. “I haven’t come out strong,” said Bopanna. played a ton of five-setters in my career,” said Sock, who was playing his first Davis Cup match on home soil. “Haven’t come back from two sets to love down. To do The 43-year-old Paes, who is set for his sev- that today, in front of the home crowd for the team, it feels extra special today.” enth Olympic participation, also enjoyed the Isner, ranked 16th in the world, fired 23 aces and fended off all eight break points doubles win. “We have won in three sets. We he faced in a match lasting just under two hours. Having withstood 54th-ranked are playing well. It has been a great season for Coric’s early assault on his serve, which included break points in six of Isner’s first us. We are sharp. seven service games, Isner broke the Croatian in the final game of each of the first “Even if the competition was tough, we two sets to take a comfortable lead. could have raised the level of our game,” Paes, After breaking to lead 3-1 in the third, Isner stayed the course, finishing off the a winner of 18 titles, said. Earlier match with a final ace. “We’re up 2-0, we’re in a good spot,” Isner said. While the India’s and Ramkumar United States are the most successful Davis Cup nation ever, with 32 titles, they Ramanathan had won their respective singles were ousted in the first round the past two years by Britain. They last played in on Friday to hand India a 2-0 cushion. the semi-finals in 2012, when they fell 3-1 at Spain. The reverse singles matches slated for today CHANDIGARH: India’s Leander Paes (front) and Rohan Bopanna plays a return during their The winners of the best-of-five match tie will take on either the Czech Republic now remain a mere formality as the Koreans doubles match against South Korea’s Hong Chung and Seong Chan Hong at the second day or France in the semi-finals. The Czechs and French were tied 1-1 after the open- will be playing for pride against an upbeat of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania group one, round two tie between India and South Korea in ing day of their tie in Prague. — AFP India. — AFP Chandigarh yesterday. — AFP