Rios to lead Chilean challenge against India

Gabriel Silberstein, ranked at a modest 180 on the ATP Computer, is their second player and may also pair up with the left-handed Rios, who signed a $10 million deal with Nike during The Championships at Wimbledon. The third member of the squad is Nicloas Massu.

Chile entered the World Group qualifying round, the penultimate round before entering the elite 16-member World Group, beating Ecuador in American Zone 1 in February this year. Rios won both his singles beating Luis Morejon in four sets 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the second rubber and in the fourth rubber beat Nicolas Lapentti in five sets 7-5, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6.

Rios, who won the Monte Carlo Super Nine event earlier this year, has a Davis Cup singles record of 10 wins and two losses in eight ties, with an overall win-loss record of 11-5. Rios revels in the fact that he loathes grass, the surface for the tie, and believes that the surface should be the exclusive privilege for cows and not for hosting tennis matches.

Silberstein, on the other hand, has neither the ranking nor the expertise on grass and, for the first time in many years, India can afford the luxury of going into the match as favourites.

Rios made his Davis Cup debut in 1993 against Canada before becoming a professional in 1994 and will have to win all his matches to keep his country’s chances alive. He lost in the first round of Wimbledon in 1995, failed to turn up last year and lost to Boris Becker in the third round this year.

His first round victim was Mahesh Bhupathi whom he demolished in straight sets in a classical exhibition of grace and finesse on a tennis court. Rios has so far won five career titles including Bologna, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, St Poletzen and Monte Carlo.

Bhupathi will get another chance in September and that could well turn out to be the crucial match of the tie.

Meanwhile, the third and fourth members of the Indian team will be selected after trials to be held in August. Leander Paes and Bhupathi will take up the playing spots, as usual.

India, who lost their World Group first round tie against the Czech Republic at Pribram in February, will be meeting Chile for the first time in Davis Cup.