Paes lifts India to 3-2 win
over Japan in Davis Cup

Swadesh R Deroy in Tokyo

Leander Paes ensured India a place in the World Group playoff when he lifted the country to a 3-2 win over Japan in the second round of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Zone Group I rubber.

In a titanic struggle, Paes disposed of Japanese top-seed Takao Suzuki 6-7 (4/6) 6-1 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 6-4 in the crucial reverse singles match lasting four and a half hours to give India an unassailable 3-1 lead at the Ariake Colosseum on Sunday.

Paes single-handedly rode India to this Davis Cup victory as he was the common factor in all the three wins that the country registered against the Japanese.

After winning the opening singles match against Yaoki Ishii 6-1 6-1 6-3, he teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi to squash the challenge of Thomas Shimada and Suzuki 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-2 6-3 on Saturday. Japan had levelled with India on the opening day when Suzuki beat Bhupathi 6-1 6-0 6-2.

Goichi Motomura salvaged some pride for Japan with a 7-6 2-6 3-6 win over Harsh Mankad in the last inconsequential rubber on Sunday.

It was India's 16th consecutive victory over Japan, which was seeking a place in the World Group play-off for the first time since 1985.

India will now face the winner between New Zealand and Uzbekistan in a July play-off where a win will ensure a berth in the elite 16-nation World Group 2002.

Sunday's cliff-hanger saw a determined Paes ebbing as well as reaching the zenith with fortunes swaying on either sides.

Having conceded the first set after it was stretched into the tiebreaker 6-7 (4/6), Paes rose up to the challenge to clamp his authority on the next and win the set 6-1.

It was two days of continuous back-breaking tennis for the Indian power-house but he showed little signs of exhaustion.

Few among the 5,000-strong spectators in anticipation that Japan may rewrite history by springing a surprise for the first time in 71 years against India, expected Paes to recover after he lost the third, again a tiebreaker 6-7 (5/7).

They were probably not aware of Paes' abilities to excel in crunch situations. Paes, playing his 51st singles rubber in Davis Cup, roared back into the game to take the remaining last two crucial sets 6-4 6-4.

In the final set, Paes overcame a 1-3 deficit to take the fifth and sixth games to even the score 3-3. He then broke Suzuki's serve in the ninth game after tying 4-4 to finally take the set 6-4.

Winning six games in each of the five sets, Paes, ranked 274 in ATP, proved he was decidedly better than his rival, although Suzuki a better-ranked player at 154, gave his most inspired performance to date.

India's non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan overwhelmed and dazzled by the brilliance of the winner told PTI, "It was Leander Paes' stunning fight-back that gave us the victory we take home."

Hailing Paes as "India's Davis Cup hero", he said "both players fought tooth and nail and the tennis they produced was sheer magic.

"Paes gave it his best effort when he was led 1-3 in the last set," Krishnan said.

Japanese coach Jun Kamiwazumi lamented the defeat which left the country nursing a 2-16 record against India and said, "The win was there for the taking and we didn't take it. We really needed someone to beat Paes but unfortunately our top players couldn't do it."