Davis Cup: Paes-Vardhan pair take on New Zealand’s Artem Sitak and Michael Venus in doubles tie, Leander chases record victory

Indians took a commanding 2-0 lead in the ongoing Davis Cup tie between India and New Zealand with Ramkumar Ramanathan and Yuki Bhambri clinching straight set wins over their singles opponents on the opening Day of the tie played at Pune.

All the focus now shifts to the doubles rubber where Leander Paes stands on the cusp of creating history. The Indian tennis ace is tied with Italian tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli for most doubles wins in Davis Cup history. Paes has staggering 42 doubles wins to his credit in Davis Cup. If he and partner Vishnu Vardhan win the doubles tie against New Zealand’s Artem Sitak and Michael Venus on Saturday, Paes shall go down as the most successful doubles player in the multi-nation event with 43 doubles wins.

Leander has brought out his best when playing for India. He has been a great servant of Indian tennis and has carved out many sensational victories in India's Davis Cup history. Over the years, he had made India proud by winning multiple medals at Asian and Commonwealth Games. The proudest moment of his career was winning the Bronze for the nation at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Leander and Mahesh Bhupathi doubles team formed the nucleus of India's Davis Cup side all through the 90s. The pair pulled off some sensational wins to bring joy to millions of Indian tennis fans. The Paes-Bhupathi pair has the longest winning streak as a doubles pair in Davis Cup history. The formidable pair won 24 Davis cup rubbers on the trot. The pair has an impeccable 25-2 record in doubles ties played together.