India’s tennis team, cheered on by a lively home crowd, dominated Togo with a 4-0 victory, earning a spot in the Davis Cup 2025 World Group I Play-offs at the DLTA Complex. With the match already decided, there was no need for the final match to be played.
India took an impressive 2-0 lead on the first day. Mukund Sasikumar and Ramkumar Ramanathan secured strong wins in their singles matches. On Sunday, N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli clinched the decisive third win in doubles, defeating Hod’abalo Isak Padio and M’lapa Tingou Akomlo 6-2, 6-1.
The atmosphere was electric as Balaji and Rithvik thrived on the support from home fans. They quickly took control of the match, breaking their opponents’ serve early in the first set and again to finish it. The second set was even easier for them, as the Togolese pair struggled to hold serve, giving India a clear victory.
India’s non-playing captain, Rohit Rajpal, expressed his excitement over the team’s performance and the future of Indian tennis. He emphasized the importance of involving younger players and preparing them for the pressures of international competition.
“Bringing in youngsters allows them to adapt to the Davis Cup environment. They perform well on the Tour, but playing in front of a home crowd adds its own set of pressures,” Rajpal noted.
Historically, India has relied on strong doubles teams, with tennis greats like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi leading the way in past competitions. Rajpal praised Balaji and Rithvik for proving the strength of India’s doubles squad.
He said, “The expectations for doubles players are high, and I’m thrilled with how Balaji and Rithvik played today. It was a fantastic match, and I’m eager to build this team for future challenges.”
With the tie secured, Karan Singh played the first reverse singles match against Padio. The 21-year-old started strong, breaking serve early and winning the first set with confidence. He held a 4-0 lead in the second set but briefly lost focus, dropping a game. However, he quickly regained control to finish the match at 6-2, 6-3.
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