Sumit Nagal puts up brave fight, but India fall 0-2 behind South Korea in Davis Cup
India ended the opening day of their Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 2 tie against South Korea trailing 0-2 after Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal lost their respective singles matches in Seoul on Friday.
The tie is being played at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center, with both nations aiming to become the first Asian team to secure a place in the Davis Cup Final 8 under the current format. India had entered the tie after impressive victories over Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Suresh had the opportunity to give India an early advantage against South Korea's top-ranked singles player Soonwoo Kwon. The Indian made a bright start, but Kwon fought back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and hand the hosts the first point of the tie.SURESH MAKES CONFIDENT START BEFORE KWON BOUNCES BACK
Suresh looked in control early on and used deep returns and aggressive play at the net to trouble Kwon. He secured an early break and established a 3-0 advantage before eventually taking the opening set 6-3.
Kwon, however, adjusted his tactics in the second set. The South Korean began serving wider and repeatedly targeted Suresh's backhand. His deeper returns also prevented the Indian from dictating points in the same manner as he had in the opening set.Korea claim the first match of the tie! Soonwoo Kwon produces a comeback 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over India's Dhakshineswar Suresh pic.twitter.com/Gd84s7E4RI— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 18, 2026Kwon eventually secured a break to move 4-2 ahead and went on to take the second set 6-3. The South Korean carried that momentum into the decider, breaking Suresh in the fifth game before closing out a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
The defeat put India under immediate pressure, with Nagal needing to beat former world No. 19 Hyeon Chung in the second singles rubber to keep the opening day level.NAGAL FIGHTS BUT CHUNG HOLDS HIS NERVE
Nagal made an excellent start against Chung, taking the opening set 6-2. The Indian's aggressive baseline play put Chung under pressure, while the slow conditions in Seoul made the contest physically demanding. South Korea had prepared a slower court, with the surface expected to reduce pace and challenge India's key singles players.
Chung, who reached the 2018 Australian Open semi-finals, responded in the second set. The Korean found greater rhythm and consistency to take the set 6-4 and force a decider.SCENES IN SEOUL Hyeon Chung wins a three-hour thriller against Nagal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to give Korea, Rep a 2-0 advantage pic.twitter.com/ldxqlEkDBm— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 18, 2026
The final set turned into a tense battle. Nagal fell 4-1 behind but refused to surrender. The Indian fought his way back to level the score at 5-5, putting the pressure back on Chung.
The experienced Korean, though, held his nerve at the crucial stage. Chung secured a break in the 11th game and then served out the match to complete a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
Nagal had spoken before the tie about the demanding conditions and his familiarity with Chung, having practised with him and previously played doubles alongside the Korean.
India now face a must-win doubles rubber on Saturday. Jisung Nam and Uisung Park are scheduled to face N Sriram Balaji and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha. If India lose that match, South Korea will take an unassailable 3-0 lead and win the tie.
The remaining schedule also includes Nagal against Kwon and Chung against Suresh. India must win all three remaining rubbers to overturn the 0-2 deficit and keep their Final 8 hopes alive.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 17:29 IST
