Davis Cup: Paes creates history as India win doubles match
Tianjin (China), April 7: Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna notched up a hard fought win in the doubles contest to keep India's chances alive in their Davis Cup Asia/Ocenia Group I tie against China here on Saturday.
The experienced Indian combination were made to sweat by the spirited Chinese pair of Mo Xin Gong and Ze Zhang before claiming a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) victory.
It was a landmark moment for the 44-year-old Paes as he notched up a record 43rd Davis Cup victory to become the most successful player in the history of the tennis competition.
Paes was tied on 42 wins with Italian great Nicola Pietrangeli for a long time, but the Kolkata born star finally surpassed him with his 43rd victory.
India now trail the hosts 1-2. Ramkumar Ramanathan and Sumit Nagal had lost their respective singles matches on Friday which handed China a 2-0 lead.
Now Ramanathan and Nagal will now have to win both the reverse singles if India is to qualify for the World Group Play-offs.
Needing a win in the doubles to keep India afloat in the tie, Paes stamped his class along with the experienced Bopanna.
In the first set, Paes' service was broken in the 11th game after the two pairs were tied at 5-5.
The Indians got more break opportunities than the hosts but struggled to kill it off.
The Indians broke Gong in the third game for a 2-1 lead and then held on.
In the decider, Paes and Bopanna frittered away a 3-1 lead by losing three games in a row to trail 3-4.
Paes came out to serve at 5-6 and went down 0-30 but the veteran used all his experience to pull off the crucial hold to force another tie-breaker.
In the tie breaker, Paes and Bopanna used all their experience to roll over the lower-ranked Chinese and pull off the triumph.
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Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an investigation into the high-profile Bengaluru gold smuggling case, following probes by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The ED conducted raids at eight locations in Bengaluru and surrounding areas on Thursday as part of its money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED initiated its investigation after taking cognisance of the CBI’s FIR and DRI’s findings following the arrest of Kannada actress Ranya Rao and her associate, Tarun Konduru Raj. A team of four officers raided Ranya’s Lavelle Road residence, seizing crucial documents. An Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) has been registered in New Delhi.
The probe is also looking into possible violations of foreign exchange laws, with investigators suspecting that money was routed through hawala transactions to Dubai in exchange for gold bars sent to India. The CBI had earlier raided Ranya’s residence on Monday. Meanwhile, the DRI conducted searches at nine locations, including Koramangala and Indiranagar.
The CBI registered an FIR on March 7 based on a complaint by Dr Abhishek Chandra Gupta, Additional Director of DRI, following Ranya’s arrest at Bengaluru airport on March 3. Two foreign nationals were later arrested at Mumbai airport on March 6 for attempting to smuggle 21.28 kg of gold worth ₹18.92 crore. Investigators believe the smuggling syndicate operates from Dubai, with possible national and international ramifications.
IPS officer under scrutiny
The state government has appointed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to investigate the alleged involvement of Ranya’s stepfather, senior IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao. Initially, the CID was tasked with probing the alleged misuse of protocol privileges by Ranya, but the state government withdrew the order on Wednesday, stating that Gupta would lead the inquiry with CID assistance.
The case surfaced when DRI officials seized 14.2 kg of gold worth ₹12.56 crore from Ranya upon her arrival from Dubai on March 3. Subsequent raids at her residence led to the seizure of gold jewellery. Investigations continue into the suspected smuggling network and potential links to government officials.
