Davis Cup Qualifiers: India trails Korea 0-2 after Day 1 as Dhakshineswar, Nagal lose three-setters

India's Sumit Nagal (in pic) squandered a massive opportunity as he went down 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to Korea’s Hyeon Chung in three hours and six minutes after leading by a set and a break. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

India trailed host Korea 0-2 after day one of the second-round tie of the Davis Cup Qualifiers as Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal both lost three-setters at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center.

World No. 157 Soonwoo Kwon overcame a slow start to defeat Dhakshineswar 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first singles rubber on Friday. The match handed Dhakshineswar, ranked 367th in the world, his first Davis Cup defeat. The 26-year-old Indian had won three singles and a doubles contest since his debut against Switzerland last year.

Later, Nagal squandered a massive opportunity as he went down 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 to Hyeon Chung in three hours and six minutes after leading by a set and a break. Chung is 2018 Australian Open semifinalist but currently ranked 549th in the world, more than 300 places below Nagal, as injuries derailed his career.

On Saturday, N. Sriram Balaji and Niki Poonacha will take on Jisung Nam and Uisung Park in the doubles rubber followed by reverse singles. India will have to win all three in order to clinch the tie and reach the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1996.

Published on Sep 18, 2026

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