India will face Uzbekistan in the second round of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie in Bengaluru from April 7-9, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced on Thursday.
It will be non-playing captain Mahesh Bhupathi’s first tie having taken over from Anand Amritraj. Amritraj’s stint with the team, which started in 2013, ended on a winning note after India defeated New Zealand 4-1 in the first round in Pune earlier this month.
There was a fair bit of controversy over the doubles combination in the last tie against New Zealand, with Rohan Bopanna omitted and an injured Saketh Myneni replaced by Vishnu Vardhan in the last hour. India still had it easy against the Kiwis with Ramkumar Ramanathan and Yuki Bhambri winning both their singles rubbers to seal a 4-1 victory.
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Bengaluru had last hosted the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Serbia in 2014.
{{/usCountry}}Bengaluru had last hosted the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie against Serbia in 2014.
{{/usCountry}}This will be the fifth encounter between India and Uzbekistan in Davis Cup history. Both countries are tied 2-2 having each won their respective home ties.
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The last time they had played, India lost 2-3 in the Asia/Oceania Group I semifinal tie played at Namangan, Uzbekistan, in 2012. Prior to that, India had lost in 2007 at the same venue. India has hosted Uzbekistan in Jaipur (2005) and New Delhi (2008) and have won both times.
The winner of the tie will advance to the Davis Cup World Group playoffs, to be held in September.