08 March,2009 02:40 PM IST | | PTI
Somdev Devvarman trounced world number 59 Lu Yen-Hsun 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 to script India's 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei and help the team advance to the third and final round of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I competition here on Sunday.
Starting as an underdog, Somdev capitalised on Lu's umpteen unforced errors to win the first reverse singles match and ensure the victory for India. In the second reverse singles match, which was a dead rubber, Rohan Bopanna lost 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7) against Tsung-Hua Yang at Yang-Ming tennis centre.
Contrary to expectations that it would boil down to the fifth rubber, Somdev pulled off a brilliant victory against Lu, who has beaten the likes of David Nalbandian and former number one Lleyton Hewitt this season, to seal the tie for India.
India will now play the winners of the other second round tie between Australia and Thailand to qualify for the World Group play-offs from May 8. It has been more than a decade that India played in the World Group as last time they figured in the elite group was in 1998. India had lost 1-4 to Romania in the play-offs last year to get back to the Asia/Oceania Group I.
