Tokyo: With India staring down the barrel, Davis Cup captain S P Misra on Friday said he had not expected his side to trail 0-2 on the opening day of their World Group play-off tie against Japan.
India`s biggest hope, Somdev Devvarman suffered a surprise straight-set defeat against Yuichi Sugita and then, Rohan Bopanna met the same fate at the hands of Kei Nishikori to end the day on a disappointing note.
"We had a tough day today. The Japanese boys played very well and deserved to win. We didn`t foresee being down 0-2. (Somdev) Devvarman`s injury was clearly bothering him. He just could not hit the ball well," Misra said.
India`s non-playing captain, though, did not want to sound pessimist.
"Being down 2-0 is a tough position for us. We will have to take it one match at a time from now starting with the doubles," Misra said.
Bopanna praised Nishikori for playing an outstanding game.
"He is playing at a high level. He is really quick. I think he is playing like a top 30 player. He was fantastic," Bopanna said.
Nishikori felt that Sugita`s upset win over Somdev helped him play without any pressure.
"Sugita`s victory took a lot of pressure off me. I returned well today, especially on his second serve. I knew I coculd beat him if I played my game," he said.
"My win makes it 2-0 and puts us very close to what we are striving for," he added.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 16, 2011, 19:17