Indian challenge on test from today

Top Indian Leander Paes, who brilliantly led the Indian challenge at the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I rubber in Calcutta over the weekend, has a relatively easy draw with qualifier Andres Zingman (Argentina) being his first round opponent.

Should the two Indians win their first two rounds, the tennis fans will get a chance to witness a heart-break of a tie as the two partners will clash in an all-Indian affair.

Paes second round opponent is likely to be fourth seed Zimbabwean Byron Black, who faces another qualifier Gregory Carraz ofFrance — in the first round. Bhupathi, on the other hand, has a tougher challenge in the second round with sixth seed Dutchman Sjeng Schalken a likely opponent.

Bhupathi is not 100 per cent fit and his showing, both in singles and doubles, where he is partnering Paes, is likely to decide whether the two would continue to play together in future. Their troubled relationship is already being widely discussed in the media, suggesting that a split between them was on the cards.

With the doubles tournament getting under way tomorrow, wild card entrants, the Kirtane cousins — Nitin and Sandeep — will face the Spanish combination of Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Jairo Velasco in the first match on court one. In a late match, Davis Cupper Syed Fazaluddin, pairing with Sargis Sargsian of Armenia, will take on the American duo of Geoff Grant and T J Middleton.