Edmonton
Ramkumar Ramanathan fetched the crucial win but Yuki Bhambri made the day memorable even in defeat as India and Canada shared the honours on Day One of the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie.

Bhambri turned the match on its head after being down two sets and a match point in the third set but eventually lost 6-7(2) 4-6 7-6(6) 6-4 1-6 to world No. 51 Denis Shapovalov.

It happened after the 22-year-old Ramanathan, ranked 154th, tamed debutant Brayden Schnur 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 7-5 in the first singles, which was also a marathon match lasting three hours and 16 minutes.

“Boys played with a lot of heart… The plan was to fight regardless of the score and Ram swung a losing battle and Yuki almost did too,” Indian captain Mahesh Bhupathi said. “The pressure remains on them. If we fight like this anything is possible.”

Power-packed
The left-handed Shapovalov unleashed his power-packed game from the beginning and Bhambri was mostly left to defend but after taking the third set from the home favourite, it was the Indian who dictated terms. An early break in the fifth set shifted the momentum in Shapovalov’s favour. The Canadian found his mojo after breaking Bhambri in the third and broke him again in the sixth game to take a 5-1 lead and clinched the issue with a crushing forehand winner.

The 18-year-old Shapovalov was playing his first-ever five-setter in Davis Cup and Bhambri deserves credit for making it tough for the Canadian. The games were short as the two players served even, but Bhambri had to work harder for the points. Bhambri made his serve jump off the surface with extra bounce and it helped him hold serve through the match.

After pocketing the opening set, Shapovalov shifted gears without fuss in the second set tie-breaker to lead 2-0 in the match. Bhambri was broken in the first game of the third set but broke back immediately when Shapovalov double-faulted at deuce and sent a forehand long. It was Bhambri’s first break of the match. After another trade of breaks, the set went to a tie-breaker in which Bhambri saved a match point at 5-6 and eventually kept himself alive by winning it. The Indian broke early in the fourth set and forced a decider, but unforced errors at crucial junctures pulled him down.

Ram’s battle
Earlier, Ramanathan battled past a fighting Schnur to remain unbeaten in the Davis Cup in the 2017 season, with wins in all five matches he has played. A powerful serve was the most potent weapon for Ramanathan but lack of pace in his strokes often made him vulnerable.

Ramanathan saved as many as 15 of the 18 break opportunities he gave the Canadian. More often than not, the Indian served wide and deep to the left of the Schnur, making the returns difficult, which helped him open the court for easy winners. Schnur, on the other hand, packed a lot of power in his groundstrokes and was very impressive with his swift movement and court coverage.