Ramkumar, Yuki power India to 4-1 win over New Zealand

TIL Desk Sports/ A lanky Ramkumar Ramanathan was fluent in his win over Finn Tearney while Yuki Bhambri struggled past Jose Statham as India completed an emphatic 4-1 victory over New Zealand in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie, here today. Ramkumar sealed the tie for the hosts by thumping Tearney 7-5 6-1 6-0 in two hours in the fourth rubber before Yuki won the dead fifth rubber against Statham 7-5 3-6 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes.

India now play second round tie at home in April against Uzbekistan, who got past South Korea in their first round away tie. The 22-year-old from Chennai, with a singles world ranking of 276, was lifted shoulder high by all his team members after his superb show and the entire team made a lap of the stadium with the Indian tricolor.

The resounding victory for India also signaled the end of Anand Amritraj s three-year reign as the team captain as he will be replaced by Mahesh Bhupathi for the second round tie against Uzbekistan. India had taken a 2-0 lead on the first day when Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar clinched their singles rubbers against Tearney and Statham respectively.