It was a forgettable India debut for the 27-year-old Chennai lad as he was trounced 1-6 0-6 1-6 in one hour and 23 minutes in the first singles of the first-round tie at the R K Khanna Tennis stadium.
Going by the slow nature of the surface, it was clear from the first game itself that hanging in and putting more balls inside the lines was all that mattered.
To his credit, Ranjeet did run hard, retrieved a good number of balls but Cho hardly missed a shot or point.
Korean captain Yong-II Yoon's decision to field 26-year-old Cho, who served his country's Army for two years before resuming his career, proved absolutely correct as he gave his side a flying start in the absence of home team's star players.
Somdev Devvarman, who has the amazing ability of staying in and wearing out his opponents, was the ideal player on this surface and his absence was felt.
Neither the 'Chak De India' song, played in between the games, nor the Dhol beats could lift Ranjeet's game as the Indian was down 0-3 in the opening set.
The first set was, in fact, over in 30 minutes and the Indian did not hold his serve even once. He was broken at love in the third and fifth games. (More)