Nagal, Bhambri to Lead India in Davis Cup Qualifier Against South Korea
New Delhi — Sumit Nagal and doubles specialist Yuki Bhambri will lead India’s challenge against South Korea in a Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round tie in Seoul on Sept. 18 and 19, with a place in the Final 8 on the line.
The tie will be played on hard courts at the Olympic Tennis Centre. The winner will advance to the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November.
Nagal, ranked No. 235 in the world, will lead India’s singles lineup alongside Dhakshineswar Suresh, ranked No. 393, and 19-year-old Manas Dhamne, who is ranked No. 362 and has earned his first Davis Cup call-up.
Bhambri, India’s highest-ranked doubles player at No. 28, is expected to partner N Sriram Balaji, who is ranked No. 57 in doubles.
India has largely retained the squad that defeated the Netherlands 3-2 in Bengaluru in the opening round of the qualifiers.
Suresh played a decisive role in that victory, contributing to all three of India’s wins. He defeated world No. 88 Jasper de Jong in singles before partnering Bhambri to win the doubles match. Suresh then defeated Guy Den Ouden in the deciding fifth rubber to send India into the second round.
Dhamne is the main addition to the squad for the South Korea tie. Siddharth Rawat has been named as the reserve, while Arnab Paparkar has been selected as an additional reserve following his recent performances.
The Seoul tie will mark India’s first appearance in the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers since the current competition format was introduced in 2019. A victory would also send India to the Final 8 for the first time under the revamped system.
South Korea has more recent experience at that stage of the competition, having competed in the expanded Davis Cup Finals in 2022 and 2023.
India has a long history in the Davis Cup, finishing runner-up three times — in 1966, 1974 and 1987 — although those appearances came under earlier competition formats.
The two countries last met in the Davis Cup in 2016, when India recorded a 4-1 victory in an Asia/Oceania Group I tie played on grass in Chandigarh.
India will enter the Seoul contest looking to carry forward the momentum from its win over the Netherlands and secure a breakthrough appearance in the Final 8.
India squad: Sumit Nagal, Manas Dhamne, Dhakshineswar Suresh, Yuki Bhambri and N Sriram Balaji.
Reserve: Siddharth Rawat.
Additional reserve: Arnab Paparkar. (Source: IANS)
