The Indian team is staring at a heavy defeat in its Davis Cup World Group I First Round tie after conceding a 0-2 lead to hosts Norway following Ramkumar Ramnathan's loss to Viktor Durasovic in the second singles in Lillehammer, Norway.
Ramkumar, the number one singles player for India, failed to live up to expectations as he suffered a 1-6, 4-6 loss to his lower-ranked opponent Durasovic in one hour and 16 minutes on Friday night.
After Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost to world No. 2 and US Open runner-up Casper Ruud 1-6 4-6 in an expected result in the first singles, the onus was on Ramkumar to keep India in the tie by winning the second match.
But it was not be as Ramkumar, ranked 276 in the world, was no match for 325th-ranked Durasovic who broke Ramkumar's serve thrice and sent down 12 aces as compared to three of his Indian opponent at the Hakons Hall Hard Court indoor facility.