The Italian No 1 Andrea Gaudenzi, it was, who finally drove home the point that whatever hopes India had after winning the second rubber were confined to the realms of dreams, even as the Italian clinched the third rubber 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-1 over Mahesh Bhupathi, in little less than an hour, to give Italy the tie.

Later, Davide Sanguinetti wrapped up the dead fifth rubber beating Prahlad Srinath 6-2, 6-3 to make it 4-1 for the Italians.

After the final point was won and lost, India had reasons to be satisfied considering that winning a set was a big thing before the tie started. Once again, it had to be Bhupathi, who single-handedly found the task a bit too enormous to take on. He played a good match but the Italian was simply playing at a differentlevel.

On hindsight, Bhupathi would have given him a tougher fight had he not chosen the wrong approach. Gaudenzi's down the line winners were too immaculate and precise that the Indian had little chance of getting his request.

Moreover, he lost serves from a seemingly comfortable position, which proved to be his undoing. Among other things, the Indian had some great returns from the back of the court and some down the line winners with his trademark double-fisted backhands.

Bhupathi began poorly losing the second game of the first. He had two game points but squandered them unable to control the volley. Bhupathi just could not find an answer to Gaudenzi's down the line winners because he was getting to the net down the middle which left the flanks wide open. That was the shot which got the Italian the second break in the first set, after Bhupathi had saved two break points.

While serving for the first, set, Gaudenzi got into a hole going down three break points with two double faults. He had two acesat the big points, and the set was his in just half an hour.

Bhupathi began with a double fault in the first game of the second set and was broken at love going for a wild smash on break point. Even as the match slowly slipped away from the Indian, he made a valiant effort to get a toe-hold in the tie which he finally got in the sixth game. Being on level terms after a set and half, Bhupathi tried hard but it was the tie-breaker which finally put paid to his aspirations.

Double-faulting on first point, Gaudenzi put so much pressure on Bhupathi's serve that he had no option but to go for the outright winner, that brought in the errors. And, at 1-4 down, Italy's moment had come. Gaudenzi set up his first point with a backhand cross court pass after a couple of great returns by the two players. That was it. A tired and dispirited Bhupathi went down 0-5 in the third and final set.

``I was a little disappointed because had Leander been here, we could have hoped for a better tie. But overall I'm happy withthe way Srinath and Fazaluddin played, this being their first Davis Cup. They gave a good account of themselves,'' non-playing captain Jaidip Mukherjea summed up the tie. For India now, it will be back to the relegation round to be played in September.