India accomplished a 4-1 victory over Morocco to safe a spot within the 2024 Davis Cup World Group I playoffs, on the Vijayant Khand Mini Stadium right here on Sunday.
Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri mixed within the afternoon to beat Elliot Benchetrit and Younes Lalami Laaroussi 6-2, 6-1 to present India a 2-1 lead. Sumit Nagal, the India No.1, then earned an easy 6-3, 6-3 win over Yassine Dlimi to seal the tie.
The useless fifth rubber was used as a possibility to blood Digvijay Pratap Singh in, and the 23-year-old received his debut match in opposition to Walid Ahouda 6-1, 5-7, [10-6].
While the win is certain to carry captain Rohit Rajpal a way of reduction, for a loss would have widened the gulf that already exists between India and the tennis elites, the outcome took an ever-so-slight backseat.
It was 43-year-old Bopanna’s fiftieth and final Davis Cup match, and there have been heartwarming post-match scenes involving his fellow gamers, family and friends. There was a victory lap; Rajpal and Digvijay Pratap carried him on his shoulders and Bopanna even symbolically left his shirt on courtroom to sign his closing goodbye.
That there was a joyous backdrop to the send-off got here courtesy Bhambri and Bopanna’s tennis.
The duo wasn’t actually examined. Benchetrit’s timing was off all afternoon whereas Laaroussi didn’t maintain serve even as soon as.
Stepping it up
Bopanna and Bhambri seldom hit the excessive notes collectively. Big-serving Bopanna, in reality, didn’t have a single ace to his title. But they stepped it up when it mattered by complementing one another’s play.
“Yuki has been playing very well of late and when he makes those returns, I can put my big frame forward,” Bopanna mentioned after the match.
“When that happened, they (Moroccans) were trying to hit bigger and missed. That made the difference.”
The outcome: India 4 bt Morocco 1 (On Sunday: Rohan Bopanna & Yuki Bhambri bt Elliot Benchetrit & Younes Lalami Laaroussi 6-2, 6-1; Sumit Nagal bt Yassine Dlimi 6-3, 6-3; Digvijay Pratap Singh bt Walid Ahouda 6-1, 5-7, (10-6).
On Saturday: Sasikumar Mukund misplaced to Dlimi Yassine 7-6(4), 5-7, 1-4 (retd); Sumit Nagal bt Adam Moundir 6-3, 6-3.