Bopanna-myneni lose to Serb pair

KRALJEVO,SERBIA: Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni lost the do-or-die doubles rubber against Serbia as India conceded an unassailable 0-3 lead to lose the Davis World Group Play-off tie here on Saturday. India can still have a shot at the qualification for the Davis Cup finals in five months as per new rules. Bopanna and Myneni lost 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-7(4) to relatively inexperienced pair of Nikola Milojevic and Danilo Petrovic after two hours and 22 minutes. Earlier, Ramkumar Ramanathan gave his all before losing while Prajnesh Gunneswaran sqaundered chances galore in his match as India conceded a 0-2 lead. India have now lost three ties in a row to Serbia, which did not have its top players.

Since new Davis Cup reforms have been introduced India will not have to go back to Asia/oceania Group immediately. Instead, India will compete in a 24-team qualifying event (home and away format) in February, 2019 to qualify for the 18-team Davis Cup Finals.

FRANCE INTO FINAL

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ,FRANCE: Defending Davis Cup champions France took an unassailable 3-0 semi-final lead over Spain when Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau beat Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (7) in the third of five rubbers. France, captained by 1983 French Open winner Yannick Noah, will meet either Croatia or the US in the final in late November.