Rohan Bopanna was upset while Prakash Amritraj was simply outclassed as India slipped to a 0-2 deficit in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I first round tie against Korea in chilly Changwon on Friday.
World number 677 Hee-Seok Chung of Korea, climbed on 232-ranked Bopanna's errors to hand him a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 defeat in the opening rubber.
Amritraj had no answers to Hyung-Taik Lee's passing shots nor had a game to hurt the Korean and lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in the second singles to wrap-up a disappointing opening day on the Changwon Municipal Tennis Courts decoturf.
Korea's Chung worked out Bopanna's game after the first set and kept him pinned down on the baseline.
The players traded breaks in the first two games of the second set, but Bopanna's big serve deserted him as Chung went on to break the Indian on the next two serves and take the set 6-2.
After losing the third set 3-6, Bopanna tried to make amends in the fourth and fought it out for 4-4. But he lost the crucial ninth game on serve, failing to put away an easy forehand volley and concede a 5-4 lead to Chung, who closed out the match by taking the last set 6-4.
India's captain Leander Paes on Thursday had complained of cold weather disturbing India's training sessions and affecting their chances in the tie. But for Amritraj the game was over before he could get warmed-up and step out of the tracksuit.
Lee, ranked 89, started in over-drive and ended up steamrolling Amritraj in just more than an hour. The Korean broke Amritraj's very first serve in the match, passed the approaching Amritraj with ridiculous ease, controlled the game amazingly from the baseline and went on to blank the young Indian in the last set to put India firmly on the back foot.
India will now rely on captain Leander Paes will partner Mahesh Bhupathi, fresh from his mixed doubles title win at the Australian Open, to make a strong doubles challenge against Oh-Hee Kwon and Woong-Sun Jun on Saturday and keep the interest alive till the third day of the tie.
The last time India lost in the first round of the Davis Cup was in 1999, also in Korea.
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