Bops-Raja lose, India down 1-2 against Canada

Edmonton, September 18
India’s World Group hopes suffered a huge setback as Rohan Bopanna and Purav Raja lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand Canada a 2-1 lead on Day Two of the Davis Cup World Group Playoff tie.
Bopanna and Raja lost 5-7 5-7 7-5 3-6 to the seasoned pair of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil in two hours and 52 minutes, leaving India with the difficult task of winning both the reverse singles to qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group.
Pospisil, 27, made a huge difference to the outcome with his returns from near the baseline and perfect placements at the net. He troubled both the Indians consistently and carried the home team on his shoulders as 45-year-old Nestor came under pressure several times. Raja was superb at the net with his deft volley winners but his limitations with the serve and baseline strokes hurt India badly.
Raja dropped his serve five times in the match — twice while serving under pressure at 5-6 in the first two sets. Bopanna’s big serving game was also missing today as he served five double faults in the team’s total of 12. His single-handed backhand winners were nowhere to be seen. Bopanna, though, managed to hold serve under pressure even when faced with a match point in the 10th game of the third set. “We played well enough to put ourselves in a position to control the match but we didn’t capitalise. At this level when you are playing two Wimbledon champions, if you don’t take your chances you don’t deserve to win,” Indian team captain Mahesh Bhupathi said.
Below-par Bopanna
Bhupathi admitted that Bopanna was not at his best in the match: “Bops fought hard. It wasn’t the best match I have seen him play but he found a way to hang in there which was the key.”
In the reverse singles matches on Sunday, Ramanathan is scheduled to take on world No. 51 Denis Shapovalov, to be followed by the match between Yuki Bhambri and Brayden Schnur.
France beat Serbia to reach Davis Cup final
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Dusan Lajovic 2-6 6-2 7-6(5) 6-2 to give France an unassailable 3-1 lead against Serbia and book their place in the Davis Cup final. Les Bleus are all set for a meeting against Belgium who beat Australia 3-2.