VALENCIA, Spain, Apr 7 (Agencies): Spain's Rafael Nadal returned to action with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 Davis Cup win over Germany's Philip Kohlschreiber on Friday to set a record for the longest winning streak in the competition's history.
World number one Nadal had not played since he retired from his Australian Open quarter-final against Marin Cilic in January with a leg injury, but made light work of Kohlschreiber to draw five-time winners Spain level at 1-1 in the tie. Victory meant Nadal set the record for the longest Davis Cup winning streak in combined singles and doubles rubbers with 23 matches in a row.
Holders France went 1-0 up against Italy after Lucas Pouille overpowered Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1 and Croatia also took the lead against Kazakhstan as Marin Cilic brushed aside Dmitry Popko 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.
Nadal was swiftly back into the swing of things in Valencia, dismantling Kohlschreiber after Alexander Zverev blew away David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to put Germany in front.
The 31-year-old Nadal hardly put a foot wrong on his return, having produced 14 of his 30 winners in the opening set of a lop-sided contest.
Meanwhile, tennis icon Leander Paes became the most successful doubles player in the history of Davis Cup with a record 43rd win before young guns Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran pulled off the must-win rubbers as India advanced to the World Group Play-offs with a sensational 3-2 win over China on Saturday.
Everything depending on how they fared in the do-or-die doubles rubber, the 44-year-old Paes and Rohan Bopanna downed a fighting Chinese pair of Mao Xin Gong and Ze Zhang 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to keep India afloat in the second round Asia/Oceania Group I tie.
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