Davis Cup: India Eases Past Togo in World Group I Playoff Tie

NEW DELHI,: N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli won their match 6-2, 6-1 in just 57 minutes, giving India an
unassailable 3-0 lead. Togo’s lineup change due to an arm injury proved detrimental, as their replacement player struggled throughout the match. Balaji’s exceptional serving and Bollipalli’s solid performance ensured India’s dominance. S. Mukund and Ramkumar Ramanathan had provided the host with a 2-0 lead after winning their respective singles rubbers on the
first day. On Sunday, in front of 2000-odd spectators on the Center Court at the DLTA complex, Rithvik and Olympian N. Sriram Balaji put the tie to bed as they took down M’lapa Tingou Akomlo and Hod’abalo isak Padio 6-2, 6-1 in 57 minutes. In ideal conditions for tennis – temperature in the low 20s, fleeting sunlight and barely any strong winds – Rithvik and Balaji
dominated the less-experienced Togolese pair. The two Indians don’t play together regularly on the ATP Tour but they did pair up for two Challengers in November last year and ended up winning one of them. That chemistry was visible as Balaji
barely lost a point on his serve while Rithvik showed excellent skills at the net. For Togo, Thomas Setodji – the only ranked player in the squad – was supposed to play with Padio. However, Akomlo had to step in for Setodji, who had his right arm
heavily strapped during his singles loss against Ramkumar and the same issue forced him to sit out for the rest of the tie. Padio, the 20-year-old college tennis player based in the USA, showed some promise while Akomlo dropped his serve thrice in the match and committed most of the errors. While the Indian pair led 4-1 in the second set, Karan left the players’ bench and went out of the Center Court, giving a hint about him possibly warming up for the reverse singles.

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