There is no one in Indian tennis, maybe even Indian sport, that electrifies and energises the crowd quite like Leander Paes.
Even on a day when he threatened to look his age, 41, Leander didn't let go of the passion and commitment that has seen him surmount many a difficult mountain. The deeper the match went, the bigger the point, the better he played. He charged up his teammate, Rohan Bopanna, and the 7,000-strong crowd at the KSLTA stadium to pull off an unlikely 1-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 8-6 win over a formidable doubles team of Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac.
It once again needed a super man effort for Leander to keep India's hopes hanging by the fingers in a tie that was headed for a 3-0 demolition on Saturday. And it was the kind of dig-deep victory that might well force Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri search deeper into their reserves to pull off a miracle in the reverse singles on Sunday.
Though the Serbs are also a patch-up team, they were a formidable pair, with perhaps the best modern-day combination in doubles: a doubles specialist and a sharp singles player with a big serve. They blitzed the Indians in the first set, breaking both Bopanna and Paes, winning the opener in 18 minutes.
The Indian pair put up a more solid show in the second set, stretching it into the tie-break despite losing serve early on. But the Serbs, built like bulls and who made the court shrink, came up with the goods to clinch it at four. Bozoljac, the youngest, least experienced and by far the lowest ranked player on court (227 to Zimonjic's 4, Paes' 35 and Bopanna's 27), was taking the attack to the Indians, setting up points with solid groundstrokes. Serbians really did not have a soft spot that the Indians could attack.
But at two sets and a break (2-3) down in the third set, something snapped. Zimonjic said he heard a click in the right side of his neck, the man was in pain. He called the trainer on the court, got it quickly treated, but was never the same player again.
The 38-year-old doubles veteran said the injury restricted his movement, he couldn't really turn his neck either side or look up to serve without feeling a stab of pain.
That was just the break the Indians were looking for to arrest the slide. Not only was Zimonjic not at his 100 per cent, but the injury timeout gave the hosts some time to re-gather their thoughts.
"Anand kept telling us, guys slow the game down, its all happening too fast," said Paes.
A quick break back was just the elixir of life that Paes/Bopanna and the downcast crowd at the stadium was looking for. As the Indian players were finally warmed up to the challenge, Paes pulled off some running volleys, and a backhand smash, that got the crowd going.
India won six games in a row, going from an almost out 2-3 in the third to 2-0 in the fourth to stun the Serbs. Even the solid Bozoljac, who tried to do his best to carry the team with some stunning down-the-line returns, cracked.
"I am still trying to figure out how we lost that match; we had it in the pocket," a bemused and shocked 'Bozo' said at the media conference.
"I keep replaying the match in my mind and I still don't know how we lost. I don't know what happened there."
What happened was Leander Paes. His crowd, their hero. It was a match even more formidable rivals have found difficult to resist. Paes' ability, even when constricted with a pedestrian serve and a slowing body, to turn up for the big matches and big points is peerless. Bozoljac, who along with Zimonjic earned the biggest scalp in doubles by beating the Bryans in the Davis Cup last year, just didn't see it coming.
He also had with him a partner who was ready to ride the wave. As Leander's presence grew in the arena, so did Bopanna's confidence. He stopped fluffing the easy volleys and started sending down serves that have earned the nickname 'Bofors Bopanna'.
The Serbians did put up a more solid performance in the fifth set, but something had already snapped and the momentum had swung so much in India's favour that there was going to be just one result. A happy finish for India.
Even on a day when he threatened to look his age, 41, Leander didn't let go of the passion and commitment that has seen him surmount many a difficult mountain. The deeper the match went, the bigger the point, the better he played. He charged up his teammate, Rohan Bopanna, and the 7,000-strong crowd at the KSLTA stadium to pull off an unlikely 1-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 8-6 win over a formidable doubles team of Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac.
It once again needed a super man effort for Leander to keep India's hopes hanging by the fingers in a tie that was headed for a 3-0 demolition on Saturday. And it was the kind of dig-deep victory that might well force Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri search deeper into their reserves to pull off a miracle in the reverse singles on Sunday.
Though the Serbs are also a patch-up team, they were a formidable pair, with perhaps the best modern-day combination in doubles: a doubles specialist and a sharp singles player with a big serve. They blitzed the Indians in the first set, breaking both Bopanna and Paes, winning the opener in 18 minutes.
The Indian pair put up a more solid show in the second set, stretching it into the tie-break despite losing serve early on. But the Serbs, built like bulls and who made the court shrink, came up with the goods to clinch it at four. Bozoljac, the youngest, least experienced and by far the lowest ranked player on court (227 to Zimonjic's 4, Paes' 35 and Bopanna's 27), was taking the attack to the Indians, setting up points with solid groundstrokes. Serbians really did not have a soft spot that the Indians could attack.
But at two sets and a break (2-3) down in the third set, something snapped. Zimonjic said he heard a click in the right side of his neck, the man was in pain. He called the trainer on the court, got it quickly treated, but was never the same player again.
The 38-year-old doubles veteran said the injury restricted his movement, he couldn't really turn his neck either side or look up to serve without feeling a stab of pain.
That was just the break the Indians were looking for to arrest the slide. Not only was Zimonjic not at his 100 per cent, but the injury timeout gave the hosts some time to re-gather their thoughts.
"Anand kept telling us, guys slow the game down, its all happening too fast," said Paes.
A quick break back was just the elixir of life that Paes/Bopanna and the downcast crowd at the stadium was looking for. As the Indian players were finally warmed up to the challenge, Paes pulled off some running volleys, and a backhand smash, that got the crowd going.
India won six games in a row, going from an almost out 2-3 in the third to 2-0 in the fourth to stun the Serbs. Even the solid Bozoljac, who tried to do his best to carry the team with some stunning down-the-line returns, cracked.
"I am still trying to figure out how we lost that match; we had it in the pocket," a bemused and shocked 'Bozo' said at the media conference.
"I keep replaying the match in my mind and I still don't know how we lost. I don't know what happened there."
What happened was Leander Paes. His crowd, their hero. It was a match even more formidable rivals have found difficult to resist. Paes' ability, even when constricted with a pedestrian serve and a slowing body, to turn up for the big matches and big points is peerless. Bozoljac, who along with Zimonjic earned the biggest scalp in doubles by beating the Bryans in the Davis Cup last year, just didn't see it coming.
He also had with him a partner who was ready to ride the wave. As Leander's presence grew in the arena, so did Bopanna's confidence. He stopped fluffing the easy volleys and started sending down serves that have earned the nickname 'Bofors Bopanna'.
The Serbians did put up a more solid performance in the fifth set, but something had already snapped and the momentum had swung so much in India's favour that there was going to be just one result. A happy finish for India.
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