Paes breaks down as does Bhupathi’s serve

He got off to a great start against Yoon Yong-Il in the deciding fifth rubber, winning a hard-fought first set in the tie-breaker. But then the Korean did to him what he had done to Paes on the first day: he just wore him down and cracked him up.

Bhupathi was broken eight of the nine times he served in the next three sets and lost 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-1 6-1 in two hours 18 minutes, and South Korea won the tie 3-2. India, now, will host China in a second-round play-off from April two to four. The winner of that tie will stay in Asia-Ocenia Zone Group I — the loser will go into a relegation play-off.

Twice before in his short Davis Cup career of four years, Bhupathi has delivered in this crunch,winner-take-all situations: against Jacco Eltingh of Holland, in a first-round World group match in 1996, and against Gabriel Silberstein of Chile, in a relegation play-off the following year — both home matches. But it was an away match today. Like it was the only other time Bhupathi played a 2-2 situation abroad, when he lost to Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic. And it is always that much more difficult to win that fifth match away.

But Bhupathi really can’t blame away conditions today. Though a small group of Koreans vociferously cheered Yoon with a clash of cymbals and the thumping of drums, today’s weather — far from ideal but almost windless and much warmer — was the best of the three days of the tie in this beautiful island. He lost because he played badly.

The turning point of the match came barely a minute or so after the Indian No 2 had come back to win the first set tie-breaker from 1-5 down. Bhupathi served three double faults in the opening game of the second set and dropped serve atlove. He hadn’t faced breakpoint in six games in the first set and the sudden loss in serving form left everyone, Bhupathi included, perplexed. He never recovered and the Korean, a grinder from the backcourt if ever there was one, didn’t give him much of a chance to do so.

Said a downcast Bhupathi later: “I don’t know what happened. I was feeling high after winning the first set and suddenly there was this big let down.” Bhupathi had six double faults in all in the second set. The plunge continued in the third set as a steady Yoon kept the ball in play while punishing anything loose from the Indian, especially when he tried charging the net on mid-court balls. Added Bhupathi later: “I had to go for winners all the time… I got no free points. He kept on coming. You have to give him his due.”

Earlier, Paes played magically for the first five games against Lee Hyung-Taek, hardly putting a foot wrong, and working up a 4-1 lead with two breaks. That spell was enough to break Lee’s spirit and though hemanaged to break Paes once in each of the three sets, he never looked like defeating the Indian. In fact, the only doubt in the match was whether Paes himself could put behind him the missed match point against Yoon on the opening day and close this one out. He did do it and out of relief, or perhaps at the enormity of his first-day loss from matchpoint, sat sobbing on the courtside well after the match was over. For, in the end analysis, it was that which cost India the tie.