Somdev should have won the first singles: Misra

Moscow: India’s Davis Cup captain S P Misra today said had Somdev Devvarman kept patience in the opening rubber, things could have been different in the World Group first round tie against Russia.

India conceded a 2-0 lead as both Somdev and Rohan Bopanna lost their singles matches on the opening day of the tie. A visibly dejected Misra said Somdev should have won the first singles match after being in a dominant position against Igor Kunitsyn. “He should have won that match. He was in hurry to close it and committed some tactical errors. The other guy gradually grew in confidence and Somdev started losing easy game points. His passing shots were also not good after losing the second set,” Misra said. “We all are very disappointed. We were close to 1-0 lead and Bopanna could have played differently against (Mikhail) Youzhny had Somdev won that match,” Misra added. Misra also said that luck also did not favour Somdev since some line calls went against him. The non-playing captain is hoping that Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will win tomorrow’s doubles rubber to keep India’s hopes alive. “On paper we are strong in doubles and are expected to win. Let’s see what happens.” PTI