India wins the doubles rubber to stay on course

By Nirmal Shekar

NEW DELHI, APRIL 8 It's an attitude. And the boy who became a man in the course of three dramatic hours on a grass court under a scorching sun proved that he has it.

Sporting the attitude of a winner - something that's often been elusive even to the ones more talented than he is in Indian sport - Vishaal Uppal lived out every schoolboy tennis player's dream in lending a big hand to help India to a 2-1 lead over South Korea on the second day of the Asia-Oceania Zone I second round match here today.

Playing alongside the game's No.1 ranked doubles player, Uppal, 23, put on a surprisingly nerveless display of winning tennis as the Indian pair overcame a shaky start to beat the Koreans Lee Hyung-Taik and Yoon Yong-Il 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7- 6(4) in two hours and 50 minutes.

If the non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan's decision to replace Syed Fazaluddin with Uppal has, in hindsight, turned out to be a masterstroke, then the genial team leader might have taken a lot of flak too if the move had misfired.

That it did not is in itself a tribute to the newcomer who revelled in the pressure cooker situation in front of a wildly cheering home crowd before serving out the match with a debatable ace down the middle.

If the winning point was debatable, then Uppal's pedigree as a big match player with commendable temperament is not. Sporting opportunities at this level come by rarely and even rarer is the sort of player who goes out there confidently and grabs what comes with both hands.

Sterling performance

``It was a sterling performance from the young man,'' said the former Indian non-playing captain Naresh Kumar. ``It was an excellent move from Ramesh and Vishaal played very well.''

If the young man did not keep up the surprisingly high level at which he played at the start, then that was to be expected. After all, this was his first best-of-five match, the first time that he has had to stay on court for more than three sets.

What is more, Paes, who seemed unusually subdued at the start on a day when he was not returning well, picked up his game just when the team needed him to and on the whole the two men complemented each other rather well.

``Their personalities jelled well. It was Leander who brought it up two months ago when he said it might be worthwhile trying Vishaal in doubles. But we took the decision to play him only yesterday afternoon although I had sounded him out 10 days ago,'' said Ramesh.

It hardly matters how many days' or even weeks' notice you get before you step out for your first big match at home in front of your family and friends on your home court. These things can hardly make a difference. What can is the player's attitude.

And Vishaal certainly has what is No.1 on the list of sporting virtues in the land of Pete Sampras, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods - attitude.

For all this, it must be said that Paes is the sort of champion who eases a new partner's entry and makes the younger one feel comfortable and very much at home in his company. And his encouragement and Ramesh's guidance had a lot to contribute to Uppal's performance.

``He was the leader out there today. He played very well,'' said Paes, complimenting his new partner. ``But there is still work to be done. I want to go out there and wrap it up tomorrow,'' said the India No.1 looking forward to Sunday's critical reserve singles match against Hyung-Taik.

Koreans surprised

It was obvious that the Koreans were surprised considerably by Ramesh's decision to change the team. And they were not prepared to face a debutant who played such carefree winning tennis.

``It was a very good change. In terms of his serving and generally,'' said the Korean non-playing captain Joo Won- Hong. ``He was not nervous at all.''

This, of course, was obvious very early in the match. After Paes fought off two breakpoints to hold the opening service game of the first set, Uppal turned out to be a revelation as he lost only two points in his three service games in the set.

The Indians were a touch unlucky in the tie-break although the Koreans did step up just in time as Hyung-Taik hit a marvellous backhand return winner down the line to wrap up the set.

Then again, when threatened, Paes and Uppal moved up a gear as they found the early break - Hyung-Taik lost serve in the first game - in the second set and knotted up the match in quick time.

In the third set, too, the home team broke in the first game itself, this time Yong-Il it was who lost serve. And when Yong-Il was broken again in the fifth game, the Indians seemed to be cruising before Paes was broken in the following game.

But, then, they only lost the cushion, not the lead. And Paes and Uppal closed out the set without much fuss.

What is more, when the Indians went up 40-0 on Hyung- Taik's serve in the fifth game of the fourth, the end seemed near. But the Koreans came out of that hole to force a tie-break after Uppal himself had saved a breakpoint in the sixth game.

It was here that Paes lost his cool as the attempts from the Korean bench to unsettle the Indian debutant and throw him off his game crossed all lines of decent behaviour. And it was only after Paes and Ramesh complained to the Japanese referee that the Korean bench heeded the warning.

In the tie-break, the Indians were never in trouble. Yong-Il offered a gift with a double fault on the fourth point, Paes's characteristic crunch-situation volley put India up 6-4 and then came that big serve down the middle from Uppal, one that might have been marginally off - which of course is not something that could be said about Uppal's attitude.

``Leander told me to say loose and give it all I have. And with Ramesh Sir's help, it was very easy for me,'' said the young man who lived out a fantasy-come-to-life cameo this afternoon.

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