Did India Achieve a Historic 3-1 Victory Over Switzerland in the Davis Cup?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- India's historic win over Switzerland in the Davis Cup.
- Sumit Nagal's decisive victory sealed the tie.
- Dhakshineswar Suresh's impressive debut performance.
- India's progression to the World Group Qualifiers.
- Switzerland's relegation to the play-offs.
Biel (Switzerland), Sep 13 (NationPress) India etched its name in Davis Cup history on Saturday by triumphing over Switzerland with a score of 3-1 in a World Group 1 first round match held at the Swiss Tennis Arena. This victory marks India's first win against a European nation in Europe since 1993.
In the decisive match, India's top singles player Sumit Nagal secured the win by defeating Henry Bernet in the reverse singles with a score of 6-1, 6-3, thus sealing India's advancement in the World Group 1 stage.
This remarkable achievement mirrors that of the legendary duo Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan, who famously overcame France 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Consequently, India has moved forward to the World Group Qualifiers, while Switzerland will now compete in the Davis Cup 2026 World Group I play-offs.
Additionally, this marks a historic moment for the current Indian team as it has not won a World Group I tie since the Davis Cup format was revamped in 2019. India has previously finished as runners-up three times: in 1966, 1974, and 1987.
Young talent Dhakshineswar Suresh made an impressive debut by defeating the higher-ranked Jerome Kym 7-6(5), 6-3 in the opening match on Friday. Nagal continued the momentum, overcoming Marc-Andrea Huesler 8-3, 7-6(1) in the second match, giving India a commanding 2-0 lead after the first singles.
Despite the hosts fighting back in the men's doubles, where Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker defeated N. Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli after a challenging match, bringing the score to 1-2, India maintained control. The Indian duo started strong, winning the first set in a tie-break but ultimately fell short.
The outcome of the tie relied heavily on the singles match between Nagal and Bernet, with Nagal decisively securing victory and sealing the tie for India. He dominated the match, breaking Bernet's serve multiple times to win 6-1, 6-3.
The 13 successful nations from the World Group I ties will advance to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers, while the losing nations will face off in the 2026 World Group I Play-offs.