India take 2-0 lead over Lebanon

India were off to a flying start in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone tie against Lebanon, with convincing straight set victories in the first two singles matches in Beirut on Friday.

Leander Paes toyed with Davis Cup debutant Karim Alayli in the first match to score a 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 win in one hour and 15 minutes before Harsh Mankad registered his first Davis Cup victory.

Mankad, playing his sixth Davis Cup match, defeated Lebanon's No. 1 Ali Hamadeh 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in one hour and 27 minutes, in an equally effortless manner to give India a 2-0 lead.

Both the matches were totally one-sided and neither Indian was broken even once.

Paes was simply too strong for his 18-year-old opponent and never allowed him any chance in the match. After being slightly off-colour in the first set, in which he made a few unforced errors, he took control from the very first game of the second set and left his opponent totally clueless.

A break in the second game of the first set was enough for Paes to pocket the set at 6-3 even though he was far from his best in that set.

Paes was more businesslike in the second set and as he stepped up the heat, Alayli cracked under pressure. Paes broke the Lebanese at love in the first game of the second set and that started the unhindered march of the Indian as he took the next two sets 6-0, 6-0 in only 43 minutes.

Ali Hamadeh was expected to give Mankad a tough time, but he too was surprisingly beaten in quick time. The young Indian, who is making waves on the US collegiate circuit, settled down after a tentative start in the first set to outplay the Lebanon No.1.

Like Paes, Mankad too went up 3-0 in the first set after breaking Hamadeh in the second game. Games went with serve after that and Mankad, who wasted a set point when Hamadeh was serving at 30-40 in the eighth game, comfortably took the set 6-3, converting his second set point with a backhand winner.

Mankad once again looked to be going in the footsteps of Paes when he took a 4-0 lead in the second set after breaking Hamadesh in the first and third games. But Hamadeh, who has been playing more of doubles matches recently, held his next serve to make it 1-4.

Hamadeh was once again broken in the seventh game when he double-faulted twice, the second one giving Mankad the set 6-1.

Mankad grew in confidence as the game progressed and played some brilliant volleys. His returns were particularly good, especially on Hamadeh's weak second serves which left his opponent a mere onlooker on many ocassions.

For the first time in the match, Hamadeh enjoyed a breakpoint when Mankad was down 15-40 in the first game of the third set. But the Indian rallied to hold his serve, something which he repeated twice later in the set, and then broke Hamadeh in the second and sixth games to round off the match.

In the doubles match on Saturday, the combination of Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take on the Lebanese pair of Hamadeh and Patrick Chucri.