India will take on South Korea in the second round of Asia Oceania Group I in Chandigarh, India, between July 15-17. South Korea has a 6-4 head-to-head record against India but with a depleted squad, the odds favor India. The surface for the tie was chosen as grass by the Indian team, keeping in mind the fact that the Koreans are not experienced on that surface.
The South Korean Team
South Korea beat New Zealand 3-1 in the first round of Asia Oceania Group I to challenge India for a place in the World Group(WG) Playoffs. The Korean team had arrived in the venue to get accustomed to the hot and humid conditions and has been practicing in the Chandigarh Club for more than a week.
In the absence of Hyeon Chung and Duckhee Lee, the Korean team will field a fairly inexperienced team for this crucial tie. The 19-year-old Seong-Chan Hong (427) will be leading Korea’s charge along with Yong-Kyu Lim (626), Yunseong Chung (628) and Hong Chung (655). Seong-Chan Hong had won a crucial singles rubber in the tie against New Zealand, to help his team to progress to the second round. Thus the pressure is on Seong-Chan as the highest ranked player, to put a good front against India. Having played 15 ties before, Lim will be the experienced campaigner in the squad who would look to guide the debutant, Yunseong Chung. Hong Chung had previously been nominated for 2 ties and played his only Davis Cup tie back in 2011 in a singles rubber against Thailand.
The Koreans have never played on grass in the pro-circuit and the Indians would be looking to exploit this factor to their fullest advantage.The Indian team should be careful not to underestimate their opponents, especially the teenagers Seong-Chan Hong and Yunseong. There is a probability that Seong-Chan Hong will play both the singles and doubles rubber with Lim as his partner. Yunseong will probably play the other singles rubber. With none of the players having met before, the element of surprise will be Korea’s trump card.
The Indian Team
The Indian team got a bye in the first round and would be looking to qualify for the WG Playoffs again. Last year the Indian team lost a close tie against the Czech Republic in the Playoffs in spite of Devvarman pulling a surprise win over Jiri Vesley. The pairing of Bopanna/Paes went down tamely to Stepanek/Pavlasek in the doubles rubber, which virtually lost the tie for India.
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With seasoned Davis Cup players Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri opting out of the tie owing to their lingering injuries, the singles campaign will be spearheaded by Saketh Myneni (150) and Ramkumar Ramanathan (217), with the latter making his debut for India in the Davis Cup. With the All India Tennis Association (AITA) expressing its preference of Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna to find their ground before the Rio Olympics, the doubles campaign is crucial for India in more ways than one.The Indian team has been practicing in the Chandigarh Club since Sunday with Leander joining the camp on Wednesday.
Myneni and Ramanathan had recently played in the Wimbledon qualifying and would be hoping to use their experiences to edge out an advantage. Both of them bank heavily on their serves to get them through and the Koreans have to return well to disturb their equilibrium. Ramkumar is also a good returner and the opponents have to exploit his backhand to make a headway. Ramkumar made headlines when he reached the quarterfinals of the Aircel Chennai Open this year where he lost a closely fought battle to Aljaz Bedene. The onus is on Ramkumar to perform well in this tie to cement his place in the Davis Cup team. The performance of Paes and Bopanna depends on them setting their differences aside and take a professional outlook.
All things considered, India is the favourite to win this tie with ease but they would do well to tread cautiously.
Prediction: India d South Korea 3-1