India, China share honours on Day One

Tennis ace Leander Paes warmed up in time in severe cold weather to give India a crucial lead winning the opening singles, but the Day One honours were even with China taking the second singles in the Asia-Oceania Davis Cup Zone-I tie in Lang Fang, China, on Friday.

Paes started tentatively in the first set, trying to gauge his opponent and getting used to the sub-zero temperatures, before grabbing the initiative to beat China's number two Wang Yu 4-6 6-0 6-0 6-4 at the Oriental University stadium indoor court.

A strong team on paper, India was expected to take a 2-0 lead, but the visitors' ambitions were thwarted.

Chinese top seed Zhang Yu dissected Syed Fazaluddin's game clinically as the Indian failed to provide any resistance after a brief show of grit in the first set before losing in straight sets 6-4 6-1 6-0.

The crucial doubles rubber will see Paes teaming up with Mahesh Bhupathi against the Chinese pair of Yang Jingzhu and Xu Ran on Saturday.

"I was little shaky at the start with such cold conditions, but (Ramesh) Krishnan kept on encouraging me till the end," Paes said of his win while thanking the non-playing captain.

"We were hoping for a 2-0 result at the end of the day, but its 1-1. We will take it with a pinch of salt," Krishnan said after the match.

Ranked a lowly 231st on the ATP list, Paes was up against an unranked 19-year-old Chinese southpaw brimming with confidence in front of his home crowd.

Battling the elements, Paes was bundled in full-length attire - an unlikely scene at any international tennis event - while Wang was at ease in T-shirt and shorts.

Rarely a Davis Cup is played under such severe conditions and a slow-bounce synthetic surface compounded Paes' misery as he is used to the faster courts.

After the temperatures Thursday night dipped to minus 14, there was some respite Friday as it was hovering around minus five.

The Indians were saved from the Siberian winds sweeping across the city as the Chinese chose an indoor stadium unlike the South Koreans, who hosted India outdoors in February 1999 in the Cheju Island near Siberia. India lost that tie 2-3.

Paes made his intentions clear in the opening game on Wang's serve as he rallied from 0-30 down to make it deuce with an inside out forehand winner. After earning an advantage, Paes attacked the net and with a superb stretch volley recorded the first break.

But the Indian was stumped on his own service as Wang levelled the scores (1-1) and raced to a 4-1 lead as Paes' movements looked restricted in the heavy attire.

Paes peeled off his woolen cap in the sixth game and showed a new zeal. He served an ace on the second serve to take the game but his effort came much too late.

After a long eighth game that he won saving three setpoints, Paes broke Wang in the ninth but again handed the initiative back and lost the first set 4-6.

Smarting under the loss of first set, Paes came back with a bang after a brief time-out between the sets.

This new rule for rest has been introduced at all levels by the three tennis bodies - International Tennis Federation, ATP and WTA - from this year doing away with rest after the first game and subsequent two games. Now there will be rest between every set and after two games.

Paes fired on all his cylinders and used drop volleys to perfection as Wang struggled to come to terms with the Indian.

The Indian broke Wang in the first game and finding his rhythm back, opened a 2-0 lead taking the second game at love.

The Chinese number two started committing unforced errors and his sketchy play allowed Paes to dominate the duel. Paes hit a backhand cross court down the line winner for a 3-0 lead.

Two breaks up, Paes now started literally toying with Wang as his powerful returns found the court and his chip and charge game bore the much needed fruits.

Serving for the set, Paes kept up the pressure on Wang and took the sixth game at love. The third set was also a repeat of the second as the Indian underlined his authority.

In the third Paes led 4-2 at one stage before Wang broke the Indian to level 4-4. But that was the end of the Chinese' resistance as Paes broke Wang in the ninth after it went into deuce thrice before the Indian scripted the win on his serve.

Much was expected from Fazaluddin after Paes gave India the much needed lead.

But Fazaluddin made the mistake of taking Zhang lightly.

The Indian looked too casual at the start and this attitude cost him dearly.

After a closely-fought first set when Fazaluddin sometimes surprised Zhang with his blistering first serves, the Indian's challenge fizzled out.

Both went with the serves till 4-4 and Zhang set himself up for winning the first set as he blasted down an ace in the ninth to lead 5-4.

Fazaluddin lost an opportunity to level when he wasted a 40-30 lead his weak backhand found the net.

The former national grasscourt champion looked nervous by the line-calls that went against him.

Despite being a set down, Fazaluddin played very casually and in the second game of the second set, he was stretched to deuce nine times before Zhang moved for the kill.

The Chinese then allowed him only one more game before closing out the match 6-4 6-1 6-0.