Prakash Amritraj defeated Aqeel Khan of Pakistan 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 in a hard-fought second singles to make it 1-1 for India in the Asia-Oceania Group I Davis Cup tie at the Brabourne stadium on Friday.
The 22-year-old son of the legendary Vijay Amritraj held his nerve in the tie-breakers of the first two sets before cruising to victory in the third.
Earlier in the morning, Rohan Bopanna had no answer to Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi's ferocity on court as India lost the first rubber.
The visiting Pakistan team was banking on a winning start from the number one player and Qureshi didn't disappoint, as his serve and volley game worked to perfection to beat Bopanna 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
In Saturday's doubles match, the ace Indian pair of captain Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will take on Asim Shafik and Jalil Khan.
Bopanna started off confidently, winning his first two service games on love. He kept pace with the 26-year-old Pakistani, using his big groundstrokes to counter Qureshi's rush to the net.
But Bopanna went down in the first set tie-break 5-7 after winning the first point of Qureshi's serve and taking a 3-0 lead.
The momentum swung Pakistan's way after that as Qureshi broke Bopanna in the opening game of the second set. The Pakistani kept up the aggression, attacking the net and created great angles to keep Bopanna at bay.
He won the next two sets 6-4, 6-4, breaking Bopanna in the last game of the third set to take the rubber in two and a half hours.
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