Dhakshineshwar Suresh, called from reserves, defeated higher-ranked Jerome Kym of Switzerland in straight sets. Sumit Nagal made a successful Davis Cup return, putting India close to winning against a European side in an away tie on Friday.Team captain Rohit Rajpal chose Dhakshineshwar over Aryan Shah. The tall Chennai player justified this decision by winning 7-6 (4) 6-3 against the 155th-ranked Kym.Despite being ranked 626th in ATP rankings, Dhakshineshwar displayed exceptional gameplay and confidence. He frequently approached the net after understanding his opponent’s game strategy.Nagal, who has dropped from top-100 to struggling to maintain top-300 ranking, won his Davis Cup return match 6-3 7-6(4) against Marc-Andrea Huesler. This victory gave India a strong 2-0 lead on day one.India now needs to win just one of three matches on Saturday to secure a memorable Davis Cup victory on European soil.
N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli will face Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker before the reverse singles matches.India’s Davis Cup history shows victories against strong Asian teams like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. However, their record against European teams has been less successful.India’s last victory against a European team in an away tie was in 1993 at Cannes. Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan led the team to a 3-2 win over France in the quarterfinals.Since 2000, India has lost away ties to multiple European nations including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Canada, Russia, Romania, and Netherlands.India did secure a home victory against Denmark on grass court in New Delhi in 2022.Despite being ranked 68 places below at 222, Nagal delivered one of his most competitive Davis Cup performances. His aggressive tactics, movement, and shot placement troubled the home player.Huesler lost the first set after making consecutive forehand errors while serving. The second set was decided in a tie-breaker, with Nagal winning through a powerful forehand shot.In the opening singles, Dhakshineshwar faced early pressure but recovered from 0-40 to keep the score even in game four.He successfully defended his serve in game six by targeting his opponent’s backhand.Kym’s serve, though not as powerful as the Indian player’s, was consistently well-placed.Dhakshineshwar’s net approach strategy proved effective in securing points.The first set went to a tie-breaker without any service breaks. Dhakshineshwar gained a 5-3 lead with a powerful corner forehand.The longest rally ended with Kym’s forehand hitting the net, giving Dhakshineshwar two set points. He converted the second attempt with a backhand lob.In the second set’s fifth game, Kym got his first break chance but couldn’t capitalize on it.Dhakshineshwar saved multiple break points with powerful serves. He then broke Kym’s serve to take a 5-3 lead.The match concluded with Dhakshineshwar serving an ace.“I just stayed calm, played my game, no matter the situation is. There was a lot of pressure, going for country for the first time. I feel I handled it pretty well. I played with my strength,” said Dhakshineshwar.“There were a few games where I could have broken but I relied on my serve which is my strength,” he added.
