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Tennis

Davis Cup: India off to a strong start against Togo on opening day

Mukund Sasikumar and Ramkumar Ramanathan posted victories in their matches on the opening day.

Davis Cup, Indian Tennis, Rohit Rajpal
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India blanked Togo at the Davis Cup 2025 World Group I Playoffs. (Photo Credit: AITA)

By

The Bridge Desk

Updated: 1 Feb 2025 2:12 PM GMT

India made a strong start to their Davis Cup 2025 campaign on Saturday, taking a 2-0 lead over Togo on the opening day of the World Group I Playoffs at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Saturday.

Mukund Sasikumar and Ramkumar Ramanathan put in commanding performances to win their respective singles ties, bringing Team India to the cusp of a victory.

Mukund secured a decisive victory over Liova Ajavon in the opening match, setting the tone for India's campaign with a 1-0 lead before Ramkumar doubled India’s advantage with a dominant win over Thomas Setodji.

Playing in front of a home crowd, the opening set began on a positive note for Mukund, who claimed the first game with confidence, before Ajavon responded by leveling the score.

The momentum shifted in Mukund's favor during the third game when he successfully defended a crucial potential break before decisively breaking Ajavon’s serve.

Despite Ajavon's fierce attempts to regain control in game five, Mukund maintained his composure, eventually winning the set 6-2.

The second set proved to be more straightforward for Mukund, who dominated from the outset.

He stormed to a commanding 4-0 lead, displaying clinical precision in both his serves and returns. Mukund secured the set 6-1 and, consequently, the match.

A short break later, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Thomas Setodji took to the courts, with the former taking no time to establish a commanding lead.

Ramkumar's powerful forehands and aggressive baseline play left Setodji struggling to find his rhythm.

Dominating every aspect of the game, Ramkumar cruised through the first set with a flawless 6-0 scoreline.

Setodji regrouped in the second set, showing signs of resilience to claim two games. Despite the brief momentum shift, Ramkumar remained unshaken, continuing to dictate play with precise serves and relentless groundstrokes.

His composure and consistency paid off as he sealed a commanding 6-0, 6-2 victory, further bolstering India's lead in the tie to end day one’s play.

With India only needing one win to seal the tie, day two will begin with N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli facing off against Setodji and Padio Isak in the doubles match.

Mukund and Ramkumar will then return to the court to contest the remaining two singles matches, with the former facing Setodji and the latter Ajavon.

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