Having lost the two singles matches on the opening day of their Davis Cup tie against Japan, the pressure went right on Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds to win the doubles and keep New Zealand’s chances of success alive. On paper their chances of doing so appeared quite high, as only left-hander Takeru Yuzuki regularly plays Challenger events. That being said, he and Yosuke Watanuki had beaten the top-fight Austrian pair of Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler in their previous Davis Cup tie, so couldn’t be taken too lightly.
I missed the first day due to being out of town, but was at Trusts Stadium for day two, so you’ll appreciate that my notes aren’t as comprehensive as when I’m at home and writing on the stable platform that is my desk. Watanuki had a straightforward hold to start the match, but Rai had to save two break points before reaching the first of what became four deuces.
The only time he had a game point was after the second of those, but he double faulted to give up any chance of converting it. There was a good rally on what became the final point, but Rai hit a forehand into the net to give Japan an immediate break. Reynolds hit a fabulous forehand return through the middle of the court off Yuzuki, but that saved only the first game point.
There was a fantastic rally on Reynolds’ first point, but Rai lost it when forced to hit a backhand volley straight into the ground. A double fault took the score to 15-40 and, although they saved the first break point, they couldn’t save the second. Rai won a good short rally to take Watanuki to 0-30, with Reynolds then adding a beautiful inside-out forehand winner before hitting the shot of the match, a stunning forehand return down the singles sideline to get back one of the breaks.
Rai rattled off four points in a row to win the next game after starting with a double fault, while Yuzuki copied that beginning and no more. Watanuki lost the first of two fantastic 13 shot rallies when he hit a forehand over the baseline, and a beautiful forehand winner down the left tramline from Rai took the score to 0-40. The Japanese pair saved the first break point, but Reynolds then hit a great return which forced Watanuki to hit a backhand volley into the net.
Rai hit a fabulous inside-out forehand return into the tramlines off Watanuki in the next game, which also contained the other fantastic 13 shot rally. This one was even better than the first because it ended in a forced error when Yuzuki was compelled to hit a forehand volley into the net, and that was enough to tip the scales in favour of this being the best rally in the match.
That gave the New Zealanders a break point, but Rai hit a forehand volley into the net before Reynolds got another with a fabulous forehand lob down the tramlines. That break point was saved as well, and the Japanese pair held in turn to regain the lead. Rai held as well to level the scores, and he and Reynolds got an unexpected break when Yuzuki hit his second double fault in the game, leaving Reynolds aiming to serve out the set.
Yuzuki started with a fabulous forehand return down the right-hand side of the court, set points came up when Watanuki hit a forehand volley into the net. That was forced by the best actual non-winner of the day, a truly wonderful forehand volley from Rai, and Yuzuki was then forced to lob his forehand return of the next serve over the baseline. The set had taken 51 minutes.
Watanuki held easily to start the second set, his game including a beautiful backhand volley from Yuzuki at the net which landed deep in the left tramline. The fantastic short rally which started Rai’s game could well have lasted much longer if Watanuki had not hit a forehand into the net cord at the right angle to lift over Rai’s racquet and land safely in court. As if that wasn’t enough, Watanuki took them to the first of what became five deuces with a beautiful forehand return through the middle of the court.
Rai and Reynolds had to save break points after three of the first four deuces, with Yuzuki then giving away a second game point when he pulled his backhand return fractionally wide. An unreturnable serve to Watanuki saw the ball end up in the net, and the longest game in the match was complete after a tick under nine minutes. Yuzuki and Reynolds then held comfortably, the latter after Watanuki saved the first game point with a beautiful forehand winner into the left tramline.
Watanuki and Rai started the second rotation of serve by holding again, with the New Zealander not needing to get through any deuces this time around. Yuzuki, though, needed to save break points before each of three deuces, but he held as well, and there weren’t any more break points or real standout shots before they worked their way to a tie-break.
The first three points went with serve, but Yuzuki lost the fantastic rally on his first serve when he hit a forehand volley over the baseline. The Japanese pair got the mini-break back on the first point after they changed ends when Rai played exactly the same shot. Watanuki won both his serves, as did Rai, and that gave the New Zealanders a match point. There was a good short rally on Yuzuki’s first point, but Watanuki lobbed a forehand over the baseline to end the contest after an hour and 56 minutes. The final score was 7-5, 7-6 (5).
It was only afterwards that I found out that this victory was even better than it seemed, as Rai had contracted influenza the previous weekend and spent several days in bed with a high fever. The New Zealand Davis Cup team members are all now heading to China for tournaments at different levels, while captain Artem Sitak heads back home to Newquay in south-west England.