Koreans enjoy easy day but insist task not over

Smiling ear to ear after grabbing a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup tie against India, South Korean captain Yong II Yoon said it turned out easier than expected for his team but the task is yet to be finished.

The Indian team, in contrast, went into a huddle after V M Ranjeet and Vijayant Malik lost in contrasting fashion in the opening singles.

While Ranjeet went down tamely to Min Hyoek Cho, Malik lost steam against Suk-Young Jeong after putting up some fight to start with.

Malik was forced to concede the match due to cramps in his left leg and could not turn up for the routine press conference as he was taken for treatment.

Meanwhile, a relaxed Yoon was candid enough to admit that the visitors were nervous.

"Since this is an away tie for us, we were nervous when we came here," said Yoon through an interpreter at the end of the day press conference.

"The first match went very well for us but the second match was tough. Overall, it was easy but this is not the end and we will try to get the doubles match tomorrow," he said.

Leander Paes, the only top player in the hosts line-up, and Purav Raja will take on Yong-Kyu Lim and Ji Sung Nam in the doubles rubber.

Reflecting on today's performance, Yoon was graceful enough to laud the fighting spirit of Malik, who was trailing 4-6, 5-7, 0-3 before fitness issues forced him to concede the match.

"Malik was better than the first guy (Ranjeet). He played well. Our second player (Suk-Young Jeong) had trouble adjusting to the surface," he said.

Talking about Saturday’s crucial doubles match, Yoon spoke about just one player.

"Paes is really good. We played against each other 20 years ago. But tomorrow we will try to win the match," he said.

Jeong, who had an ice-pack on his shoulder while addressing the press conference, echoed his captain's views on the remainder of the tie.

"This is not the end. I will try my best to win the reverse singles on Sunday," he said.