Serbia edge India out to regain World Group spot

Champions in 2010 and runners-up last year Serbia regained their Davis Cup World Group spot when they completed a 3-2 win over India in the play-off here Monday.

Filip Kranjinovic won the second reverse singles that was halted Sunday night due to rain, against Yuki Bhambri 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

It took the 22-year old 107th ranked Kranjinovic just about an hour Monday to dispense with the formalities as a wayward Bhambri was unable to raise his game to meet the Serbian's steady game.

Bhambri committed as many as 66 unforced errors to Kranjinovic's 38, but the Indian had more winners (34) than the Serb (24).

The match was halted late Sunday night with Kranjinovic leading 6-3, 4-4, and the Serb made no mistake on resumption as Bhambri continued to commit error after error.

Kranjinovic, playing his first major Davis Cup tie after travelling with the team for a couple of years, was rarely troubled as he broke the 22-year-old Bhambri, ranked 153, in the very first game of the day.

In the third set, Bhambri was broken again in the first game as Kranjinovic played the more consistent game to come through quite comfortably.

Only twice in the third set did Bhambri come within striking distance of breaking the Serb who trailed 0-30 in the eighth and 10th games, but came up with a couple of aces and a few good placements to pull through.

The results:

Singles: Dusan Lajovic bt Yuki Bhambri 7-5, 6-2, 6-3; Filip Kranjinovic bt Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Doubles: Ilija Bozoljac/Nenad Zimonjic lost to Leander Paes/Rohan Bopanna 6-1, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 3-6, 6-8;

Reverse singles: Lajovic lost to Devvarman 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6; Kranjinovic bt Bhambri 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.