ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Davis Cup: Dhakshineswar Suresh takes India past the Netherlands
India’s happiness after doubles triumph was short-lived because of Jesper de Jong’s comeback win over Sumit Nagal forcing the Davis Cup tie into a decider
-
Prabhjot Paul Singh - Sun, 08, Feb 2026
- 21:46 EST
- 23
Dhakshineswar Suresh / ATP
A heroic performance by Dhakshineswar Suresh helped India cruise past the fancied Netherlands in round 1 of the Davis Cup in Bengaluru on Feb. 8. He not only toppled highly ranked opponents in singles but also paired up with Yuki Bhambri to win the doubles to give India a decisive 2-1 lead before the reverse singles.
India’s happiness after doubles triumph was short-lived because of Jesper de Jong’s comeback win over Sumit Nagal forcing the Davis Cup tie into a decider
Buoyed by Dhakshineswar Suresh’s 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Guy Den Ouden, India secured an emphatic 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifier at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru. India’s victory paves the way to September’s Qualifiers 2nd Round, where they will compete to make it to the eight-team Davis Cup Finals.
Elsewhere, Canada got past Brazil 3-2 thanks to Liam Droxl’s 6-3, 6-4 win over Gustavo. Heide in the decisive fifth rubber in Vancouver, thus earning the home team the right to challenge France in the second round in September.
ALSO READ: Indian Consulate honours Ronit Karki after Wimbledon run
Other results of the first round are Chile beat Serbia 4-0, Germany beat Peru 4-0, Croatia beat Denmark 3-1, Great Britain beat Norway 4-0, Austria beat Japan 3-2, Korea beat Argentina 3-2, the USA beat Hungary 4-0, Slovakia lost to France 1-3, and Czechia beat Sweden 3-1.
In the India-Netherlands tie, the decisive rubber was the fifth, where Suresh fired 15 aces in a composed performance under pressure. He broke Ouden in the seventh game to clinch the opening set. A thrilling second set saw them hold serve till 6-6 before Suresh secured the victory in the tie-break to seal the tie for India.
Heading into the day with the teams locked at 1-1, Dhakshineswar Suresh and Yuki Bhambri defeated David Pel and Sander Arends, 7-6(0), 3-6, 7-6(1), in the first fixture to give India a 2-1 lead, before Jesper de Jong came from behind to defeat Sumit Nagal there, 6-4, and make it 2-2.
Non-playing captain Rohit Rajpal had high praise for Sumit Nagal, underlining the Indian’s leadership and effort despite not being at his best. “It’s been a difficult 10 days with our number one player suffering from an injury. This is not even 50 percent of Sumit Nagal, because if Sumit Nagal was firing both ways, this would have been a different story. I can say that with confidence now. But again, my compliments to him; he fought like a tiger, he came there, and he led the team like a tiger, like the number one in India should.
Speaking on Dhakshineswar Suresh, who featured in three victories for India in the tie, captain Rohit Rajpal said, “He is my trump card that I keep pulling out every time, and it works every time.”
Shedding light on his mindset, Suresh said, “Definitely, I have to put my height to use. Being 6'6" and being the only Indian who's tall, I must work on my strengths and make the most of it.
“I go out every day and try to get a basket of serves. It's always about consistency. When I get into crucial moments in the match, I tell myself I have done this a million times, so it's just another ball which I'm going to hit,” commented Suresh.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login