Davis Cup: Mukund to kick off India’s challenge against Morocco; Bopanna-Bhambri team up for doubles

Lucknow: Sasikumar Mukund will kickstart India’s challenge in the Davis Cup World Group II tie against Morocco when he takes on World No.557 Yassine Dlimi in the tie-opener here on Saturday.

It doesn’t look like an ideal draw for India as their highest-ranked player Sumit Nagal will face Adam Moundir in the second singles on Day One.

While Nagal and Mukund will lead the campaign in singles, US Open runner-up Rohan Bopanna will partner Yuki Bhambri, ranked 65th in the world, in men’s doubles clash.

The draw ceremony was conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence on Friday. He also wished the players luck in the tie.

The draw ceremony was also attended by All India Tennis Association (AITA) President Anil Jain, Secretary General Anil Dhupar, other officials, captains, and players from both teams.

On Sunday, Bopanna will team up with Bhambri to take on Morocco’s doubles pair of Elliot Benchetrit and Younes Lalami Laaroussi whereas Nagal and Mukund will play Dlimi and Moundir respectively in the reverse singles on the final day.

There is a lot of excitement around the rubber where Bopanna, who recently finished runner-up at the US Open men’s doubles final, will be playing his final Davis Cup match.

“The draw seems fine. Normally, every captain prefers his No. 1 player to come on the court first to give the country an advantage. My first preference was for Sumit (Nagal) to play first. It’s going to be challenging in terms of the weather. The idea is to keep the players hydrated and feed them with a lot of electrolytes, India’s non-playing captain Rajpal, who is also the Executive Committee Member of the Indian Olympic Association, said.

“No team is easy, no player is easy in today’s time. Both our players need to rise to the occasion and deliver for the country,” he said.

AITA Secretary General Anil Dhupar felt the Davis Cup would be great for youngsters from the state.

“Uttar Pradesh is going to witness a different world of tennis after the Davis Cup. They have built new courts, new infrastructure and this will help all the youngsters and aspiring tennis players to participate in good tournaments,” he said.

The matches will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while the second and final day action on Sunday will start at 1 p.m.

“I think it’s a good draw and we’ll see some great matches. We are looking forward to competing tomorrow. We came a week earlier so we are getting used to the heat and humidity. We are happy with the start time,” said Morocco captain Mehdi Tahiri.

–IANS