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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Rs 2L fine slapped on passport office in Hubballi for mistakenly stamping ‘cancellation’ on passport
Hubballi: The District Consumer Grievances Redressal Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 2 lakh on the passport office in Hubballi for mistakenly stamping ‘cancellation’ on a valid passport.
Pankesh Jain, a businessman from Hubballi’s Keshwapur, was denied boarding at Mumbai Airport on his way to Dubai with his wife and two children after a “cancellation” stamp was mistakenly placed on his passport by the Hubballi Passport Office during the children’s passport issuance, as reported by Deccan Herald on Wednesday.
Jain was unaware of the error until the inspection at the airport. He immediately contacted his relatives in Hubballi, who informed the passport office. The department acknowledged the error and corrected the passport by coordinating with the Mumbai office. The correction, however, cost Jain Rs 11,000 and led to a one-day delay in their trip.
Due to the passport cancellation, Jain faced extra accommodation costs in Mumbai and lost two days of his planned Dubai stay. He filed a Rs 25 lakh compensation claim with the Dharwad District Consumer Commission, citing service deficiency by the passport office.
While the respondents cited Section 16 of the Passport Act, arguing that no action could be taken against officials, Commission Chairman Eshappa Bhute and member Vishalakshi Bolashetti, after a thorough review, ruled that the cancellation stamp on Jain’s valid passport was a departmental error, the report stated.
The Commission rejected the respondents' objections and held the passport department accountable for the service deficiency. It directed the department to compensate Jain with Rs 2 lakh, covering Rs 62,876 for additional flight costs, Rs 11,000 for passport correction, one day's accommodation, inconvenience, and Rs 10,000 for legal expenses.
