Prakash Amritraj in action against Jonas Bjorkman in New Delhi on Friday. Pictures by Rajesh Kumar

New Delhi: This is not just another Davis Cup tie for India. It’s a challenge for Leander Paes’ team to show that men’s tennis in this country hasn’t yet been blown out of the window by Hurricane Sania Mirza.

A World Group play-off clash versus heavyweights Sweden ? the stage was just perfect for Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna to showcase their skills and make an emphatic statement.

The net result on Day I may not have sent Indian fans into a state of ecstasy, but there sure was an element of optimism to warm the hearts. Pitted against immensely experienced and far higher-ranked opponents, Amritraj was just about competitive while Bopanna a real revelation in their respective rubbers.

The 21-year-old Amritraj went down 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 to Jonas Bjorkman, who had too many tricks up his sleeve. Bopanna threatened to blow 2002 Australian Open champion and current world. No. 14 Thomas Johansson off court before faltering at critical junctures to be staring at a two-set deficit.

When a light but nagging drizzle forced the players to leave court at 3.10 pm ? referee Ken McKewen ultimately adjourned proceedings around 4.45 pm ? Bopanna was trailing 0-5 in the second set tie-break, having lost the first 6-7 (3-7). They will resume battle at 11 am Saturday, followed by the much-awaited doubles.

Bopanna’s selection at higher ranked Harsh Mankad’s expense had generated a controversy which ultimately had to be doused by Paes’ diplomatic skills. On a sticky Friday afternoon at the R.K. Khanna Stadium, the giant sized man from Coorg justified the faith selectors had shown on him.

Brandishing a huge serve and showing a maturity in his backcourt game which was non-existent two years ago, Bopanna caught Johansson by surprise. Facing serves consistently in the region of 220km an hour wasn’t something the accomplished Swede had bargained for.

Aces came in pairs and even triplets as Bopanna ? who came into prominence by taking Dutchman Martin Verkerk to five sets before getting sidelined by an injury ? breezed through his service games in next to no time. Johansson served well, too, his forte being variation and kick rather than speed. The Swede, however, faced serious trouble twice in the first set ? in games 10 and 12 when Bopanna had a set-point each.

Therein lay the problem. Rather than seizing his moment, the Indian went for low percentage shots to let Johansson off the hook. In the tie-break, Bopanna fell apart ? back-to-back double-faults being his bane ? and the Swede pounced on the opportunity gratefully.

Bopanna retained the high level of intensity in the second set, though the double-faults continued to co-exist with the aces. To the Indian’s credit, he didn’t face a single break-point till the 10th game of the second set when Johansson earned five ? and wasted all.

The tie-break again brought the worst out of Bopanna and it will be one uphill battle for him on Saturday unless he can turn the second set around with some special stuff.

Amritraj, a habitual serve-and-volleyer, was as smooth as Bjorkman let him be. Unfortunately, the Indian didn’t have the cutting edge to counter Bjorkman’s skilful service returns and angled volleys.

The veteran Swedetook a while to adjust to the low bounce of the temporary grasscourt.

Once he sorted the bounce out, it was smooth sailing. He was always in control, not letting Amritraj sniff a break in the first and third sets. In set II, when the Indian played his best tennis, Bjorkman dropped serve once before quickly regaining the initiative.

Amritraj made things difficult for himself by failing to tackle Bjorkman’s high percentage of first serves. He had the Swede at 0-30 a couple of times, but instead of going for the kill, Amritraj would come up with tame returns.