Kolkata: A jubilant Leander Paes, emerging from his authoritative win against Mark Nielsen in the Davis Cup tie, said he was delighted with his game and the way he 'taught' the New Zealander 'a lesson on grass'.

"I capitalised on his (Mark Nielsen's) weakness on grass. I have taught him a lesson on how to play on grass courts," Paes, who gave India a 1-0 lead on the first day of the Asia-Oceania group I round two tie at the Calcutta South Club ground, said.

Paes, who registered his 37th victory on grass at the Davis Cup, however, candidly admitted that the 338 ranked Nielsen "is not really a grass court player and that he is much better on hard or synthetic surfaces".

Satisfied with his 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 win, the local hero, who considered Davis Cup as the "ideal stage for me to perform at my best", said "what I was concerned about was to get a good start and capitalise on his weaknesses".

Commenting on the second set, which saw some opposition from Nielsen as the foreigner took the game to the tie-breaker, Paes said, "I was a bit cautious and tried to play a percentage game and make him play."

With a 1-0 lead on the first day, Paes considered India to be comfortably placed, but regretted the deferment of the second singles to the morrow following heavy showers.

The veteran Davis Cupper, who would turn 31 in June, said he was particularly happy about his serves, which included 13 aces, as also his returns that Nielsen found hard to match. "I had about 70 per cent of my first serves correct. My strategy was to get right my first serves as much as possible," Paes said.

Asked to comment on a virtual cakewalk win against the highest ranked New Zealand player, Paes said, "I was not concerned about winning the match in straight sets or five sets. I just wanted to play my own game and get my rhythm. I am pleased with my game and have conserved a lot of energy for tomorrow and the day after."

Paes, who made his debut in the Davis Cup in 1990 and staged some historic wins against top singles players in the world, was, however, not willing to rate this victory among his greatest while playing for his country.

Despite lacking practice in the singles and having a low 1003 (singles) ranking, he did not find any difficulty in adjusting when it came to the Davis Cup tie as the passion for playing for India and the few days of practice before it helps him to make quick adjustments, he said.

PTI