India Faces Tough Start in Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers Against South Korea

India's Challenging Day in Seoul

Seoul [South Korea], September 18: India concluded the first day of their Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers second-round match against South Korea with a score of 0-2. Both Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal were unable to secure victories in their singles matches on Friday, as reported by a sports news outlet.

In the opening match, Dhakshineswar Suresh, currently ranked 367th in the world, fought valiantly but ultimately lost to Kwon Soon-woo, who is ranked 157th, with scores of 6-3, 3-6, 4-6. The match lasted for two hours and five minutes.

Suresh began the match strongly, breaking Kwon in the second game to establish a 3-0 lead and winning the first set. However, Kwon responded in the second set, breaking Suresh in the sixth game, which led to a decisive third set.

The final set was tightly contested at 2-2 until Kwon managed a crucial break in the fifth game, allowing him to secure the match and give South Korea the lead.

Following this, India's top singles player, Sumit Nagal, ranked 247th, faced Chung Hyeon, a former Australian Open semi-finalist, and lost with scores of 6-2, 4-6, 5-7.

Nagal started off strong, quickly gaining a 4-0 advantage to win the first set. However, Chung leveled the match by breaking Nagal in the ninth game of the second set.

In the deciding set, Chung took an early 4-1 lead, but Nagal fought back to tie it at 4-4 and later at 5-5. Ultimately, Chung held serve to go ahead 6-5 and broke Nagal in the final game to clinch the match.

To advance to the Davis Cup 2026 Final 8, India must win all three matches scheduled for the second and final day.

In the opening doubles match on Saturday, N Sriram Balaji and Niki Kalyanda Poonacha will compete against Nam Ji-sung and Park Ui-sung.

If India secures a victory in the doubles, Nagal is set to face Kwon Soon-woo in the first reverse singles, followed by Dhakshineswar Suresh against Chung Hyeon in the fifth rubber, if necessary.

The winning team will qualify for the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November, while the losing side will enter the first round of the 2027 Davis Cup Qualifiers.

India has been a runner-up in the Davis Cup three times—in 1966, 1974, and 1987—but has yet to qualify for the Final 8 under the current format.