Could Levy and Ram be the new Andy-Yoni? With Yoni Erlich out injured, Harel Levy has been under immense pressure this weekend, effectively carrying Israel's chances in its Davis Cup World Group Playoff against Peru on his own shoulders. On Saturday, the 30-year-old veteran showed his mental strength, brushing aside the disappointment of losing Israel's first match on Friday to come back and play superbly to win the doubles rubber match with Andy Ram in straight sets, putting Israel in a strong position going into the final day on Sunday with a 2-1 lead. Dudi Sela will play the first match against Peru's number one Luis Horna on Sunday, knowing a victory will win the tie for the Israelis and guarantee their place among the globe's top 16 nations in the Davis Cup World Group. If Sela loses, Levy will need to win the last match of the tie against Ivan Miranda. "This match gave me a lot of security. I did everything on the court I needed to," Levy said of the doubles rubber on Saturday. "It was fun to play with Andy and we did everything we had to even though we were playing against a weaker pair than we expected to." Ram and Levy had been scheduled to play against the pairing of Horna and Miranda. But after Horna was slightly injured during Friday's win over Levy, Peru captain Jaime Yzaga decided to rest the pair for Sunday's reverse singles and play the less experienced doubles duo of Maurico Echazu and Matias Silva. The gamble didn't pay off for Peru and, to the delight of the crowd at the Ramat Hasharon Tennis Center, Levy and Ram swept aside Echazu and Silva 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. Ram played just as well with Levy as he has done with Erlich, his regular doubles partner with whom he won the Australian Open title this year. "It was a tough match to play," Yzaga admitted after the doubles. "They [Silva and Echazu] are not used to playing that sort of important match." Even though Israel appears to be in a commanding situation, the Peru captain remained confident. "There was always this possibility of being 2-1 down," he said. "For us it is not a score that has set us back. The feeling is that tomorrow we have two good matches and of course we have to win the first one. "I have a very good feeling about tomorrow and that is why the number one and two players were rested today." The tie had started badly for Israel on Friday afternoon when Levy lost the opening rubber to Peru'sHorna 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3 in a tight encounter which lasted just under three and a half hours. However, Dudi Sela put in a superb performance in the second match, defeating Ivan Miranda 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, to draw the tie level and give the Israeli team the momentum to move ahead on Saturday in the doubles. Israel must be cautious, though. Eyal Ran's team was in the exact same situation going into the final day back in February when it played Sweden in the first round of the World Group, but lost both reverse singles matches to lose the tie. Sela appeared calm on Friday, looking forward to his crucial match. The 23-year-old has become something of a crowd favorite at Ramat Hasharon, especially after he beat world number six Fernando Gonzalez to give Israel a 3-1 win over Chile this time last year. "Horna is a good player who has a good forehand. I know him very well. I have something on my mind on how I should play. "I think Israel is the favorite and on Sunday we and Harel have to fight. Even if I don't win I think we have a good chance to win the tie," Sela said.
