Johannesburg, Sep 18 - Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman put in sight of the Davis Cup World Group Finals winning the two opening singles in the play-off tie against South Africa at the Ellis Park Indoor Arena here Friday.

Bopanna, who had failed to win even a single match during India's 3-2 win against Chinese Taipei in the second round in February, pulled off a sensational win against South Africa No.1 Rik de Voest 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in little more than two hours to follow-up India's No.1 Somdev Devvarmam's clinical 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 win over Izak Van der Merwe.

Bopanna will partner Mahesh Bhupathi in absence of injured Leander Paes for the doubles tie against Wesely Moodie and Jeff Coetzee to give India a World Group Finals berth in 11 years.

Ranked at lowly 488, Bopanna, who is on a comeback trail after a knee surgery in June, was literally blown away in the first set, winning just two games after being down 0-5 in mere 13 minutes. But the fighter in Bopanna woke up in the second set. The Indian in a complete turned around produced breathtaking groundstrokes and served with purpose, acing as many as 17 times, to seal a 2-0 win.

Once the 29 year-old-Bangalorean overcame nerves to hold the first game of the second set, he began to hit fluently, whipping some stupendous backands and forehands to send De Voest scurrying to the corners.

He broke the South African in the fifth game and soon served out the set in the tenth to make it 1-1. He carried in the same vein in the third set, snapping De Voest's serve in the fifth and the seventh game to be up 2-1.

In the fourth set, a fired up Bopanna broke De Voest early in the third game and was cruising to serve out the set and the match when the South African pulled one back in the eight game to make it 4-4. But that was it. Bopanna broke back immediatey and with a hold stunned the sparse crowd.

A relieved Bopanna said Somdev took pressure off him by winning the first singles.

' I was relaxed going into the match since Somdev won the first singles match. It eased the pressure on me. I am glad I was able to win it for India,' Bopanna said.

'The high altitude conditions suited my game. I practiced at Bangalore for a week before comong here and I was comfortable playing here.

'In the first set I tried everything but De Voest was too good.