Seoul: N Sriram Balaji and Dhakshineshwar Suresh’s incredible win in the Davis Cup doubles rejuvenated India’s campaign. The focus then immediately shifted towards Sumit Nagal, who took the court against South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo in the fourth match of the tie. With India trailing 1–2, the pressure was firmly on Nagal to deliver in the must-win contest. However, the India number one failed to live up to expectations as he suffered a 6-1, 6-2 defeat to end India’s campaign.
Notably, Kwon set a blistering pace from the opening serve. He capitalised on early unforced errors and dominated from the baseline. The South Korean handed Nagal a 6–1 “breadstick” in a dominant first set. Kwon’s clinical execution left Nagal struggling to find his rhythm, placing India’s Davis Cup survival on the brink at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
Nagal improved but not good enough in second set
In the second set, Nagal dug deep to steady the ship. He kept pace with Kwon Soon-woo as the score locked at 3-3 at one point. However, Kwon broke Nagal’s serve in the seventh game with relentless baseline precision to take a 4-3 lead, before consolidating comfortably for 5-3.
Nagal refused to bow out easily, though. In the final game, he fought off two match points on his serve, dragging the decisive game through two tense deuces. Nevertheless, Kwon was very composed and disciplined, eventually winning his third match point to wrap up the set 6-3.
India’s campaign ends
India had a poor day 1 and that played a part in them being knocked out of the second qualifier of the Davis Cup. Both Dhakshineswar Suresh and Nagal suffered a defeat each in their singles clash, as South Korea were leading 2-0 after day 1.
There was a slight ray of hope on Saturday morning when Dhakshineshwar and N Sriram Balaji scripted a comeback in the doubles category. However, Nagal failed to keep up with the momentum in his singles clash and was dominated by Kwon.
His win sealed a 3-1 overall win for South Korea, ending India’s campaign in the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre in Seoul.
