Roddick, Blake prove a class above

India's hopes of entering the elite group of 16 in Davis Cup tennis received a severe jolt as they lost both the singles on the opening day of the World Group qualifying round against the United States, in Winston Salem (North Carolina), on Friday night.

Leander Paes's 11-match winning streak in the Davis Cup play came to an end when he lost to newcomer James Blake in straight sets 5-7, 3-6, 3-6, after America's upcoming star and world No.15 Andy Roddick routed Harsh Mankad in 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 at the Joel Coliseum.

India now face a near impossible task of winning the doubles and both the reverse singles on Sunday to reach the World group.

Playing his first singles match after losing to Nicolas Escude of France in the second round at Wimbledon, Paes's magic failed to work as Blake, who is making rapid strides in the ATP ranking, closed out the match in 1 hour and 50 minutes.

The games went with serve till 4-4 in the first set, with both players getting a measure of their opponent. Serving at 30-30 in the fifth game, Paes missed an easy volley to give the first break point to Blake. He then double-faulted on the crucial point to lose serve and go down 5-6.

The 21-year-old from Connecticut then served out on his first set point, after surviving two break-points as a return from Paes sailed over the baseline.

The best chance for Paes to come back into the match came at the start of the second set. Unfazed by his loss in the first set, the 28-year-old Indian star won the first game of the set, serving his first ace of the match.

Paes then broke Blake's serve for the first time with a big forehand winner to rush to a 2-0 lead.

Serving at 40-0, for a 3-0 lead, he missed an easy point attempting a flashy forehand. Taking an amazing turnaround, Blake won the next two points, pushed the game into duece, saved another game point and pounced on a weak Paes's second serve to put the set back on serve.

The next three games went with serve before Blake broke Paes's serve for the second time in the set to lead 4-3 even as the Indian managed to win only five points after squandering his chance in the third game.

Blake was now peaking at the right moment. His powerful double-fisted passing shots spoiled Paes's chip and charge even though the Indian showed flashes of deft volleying skills at the net.

After holding his serve for love with four high power serves to go 5-3 up, Blake once more turned heat on Paes's attacking his serve. He was particualarly severe on Paes's second serves, despatching them to the lines.

Despite a valiant effort by Paes to hold serve in the 9th game, which oscillated through three dueces after Paes was leading 40-15, Blake converted the second set point of a second serve as the Indian netted a volley, to take the match further away with a 7-5, 6-3 lead.

Paes now had to pull something out of the bag but was unable to surprise the young American. Games went with serve till the sixth when Paes lost his serve once more.

He served a double-fault to go 0-30 down and a sequence of unforced errors gave Blake a 4-2 lead and he could now smell his first win in Davis Cup.

The never-say-die spirit of Leander Paes, which won him all the fame in Davis Cup history, was to the fore in the next game as he went all out to break Blake's serve.

The most entertaining of the entire match, the game saw five dueces and fortunes fluctuating for the players. Paes had two break-points, but each time Blake came out of the hole with big serves. Blake finally managed to hold serve to 5-2 when a return by Paes went over the base line.

After Paes held serve to make it 3-5, Blake, serving for the match, was again down 15-40, courtesy, two brilliant passes from Paes and a double fault.

But Paes again messed up an easy putaway and the game reached duece. Two more high class serves it was all over for India as Blake announced that the United States have more than one Roddick to boot.

A glare at the statistics confirmed Paes's undoing -- with 29 unforced errors to go with 37 winners and a first serve percentage of 56. In comparison, Blake's first serve record touched 67 per cent with 33 winners and only 17 unforced errors.

Earlier in the day, 19-year-old Roddick toyed with Harsh Mankad before overpowering him in straight sets.

Mankad started the match impressively, without showing any nerves, but was slowly subjugated by Roddick, who never had to go full steam to quell the Indian's challenge, in 89 minutes.

Roddick, who started serving in the first set, won it in 27 minutes, finding the crucial break of serve in the eighth game. From 3-3, Roddick held his serve to go 4-3 up, broke Mankad's serve in the next game and then served out the set with a barrage of aces.

Mankad's game slowly came apart in the second and third sets even as Roddick stepped up the pace. After the first four games in the second set went with serve, Mankad was broken in the fifth game as Roddick converted the first break point that came his way.

The third set showed the real difference in class between the two players, with Roddick dictating the pace and finding the lines with precision and leaving Mankad to do a hopeless retreiving act.

After splitting the first two games in the third set, Roddick broke Mankad's serve for the third time in the match.

At 15-15, Mankad missed a simple drop volley at the net to go 15-30 down and then Roddick came up with a clean return winner to take two break points. Though Mankad saved the first one, he failed to save the second as his backhand cross court shot sailed wide.

The next game saw the Indian forcing his first break point of the match with a brillant backhand winner. But any hopes of a Mankad come back soon evaporated as his next shot found the net and Roddick quicky made it 3-1 with his big serves that hovered around 145 miles per hour.

Mankad again faced two break points in the next game when he was down 15-40 and once again Roddick broke the Indian converting his second chance to go 4-1 up.

Mankad did not win any points after that as Roddick held his serve with more bazooka serves. The Indian was now under severe pressure and again lost his serve without winning a single point to lose the set (27 minutes) and the match.