Deja vu as rookie pair bridge gap between LA, Coorg

It seemed like deja vu, Prakash with his deft net play and Bopanna with his power-packed shots stingers. It even drew Leander, sitting courtside, into the mix: ‘‘Come on’’, he shouted, ‘‘amazing.’’

It never seemed that they were under pressure; they appeared to complement each other, so much so that winning points was just a formality.

The match fell into three patterns. The first was explosive 23-minute action tennis, which Prakash said they ‘‘enjoyed and just fell in place’; the second saw the Indians play loose points, particularly Bopanna who was hen singled out by the Germans.

The new tie-breaker rule introduced in place of the third set was the climax. With Waske being the better server and Schuettler returning well, the Indians found themselves 5-9 down, facing four break points. But they got their break when Waske double-faulted, and rattled off the next five points to script an incredible comeback.

Considering that the Indians, playing in only their third tournament together, were wildcards for the event, this is big, big progress — as big, in fact, as the gap between LA and Coorg!