Sumit Nagal Squanders Lead As Ex-Australian Open Semifinalist Gives Korea 2-0 Davis Cup Lead

India's Sumit Nagal conceded that Hyeon Chung was the better player on the day.© AITA

India's Sumit Nagal conceded that Hyeon Chung was the better player on the day as the Korean comeback man prevailed in a gruelling three-hour battle, with the Indian also pointing to the "dead" nature of the court and low bounce as factors that made it difficult to hurt a defensive opponent in the Davis Cup tie on Friday. Nagal had his chances, particularly in the second set, but failed to capitalise as Chung prevailed 6-4 4-6 7-5 to give Korea a 2-0 lead after Dhakshineswar Suresh lost 6-3 3-6 4-6 to Soonwoo Kwon.

"It was a long day. I was expecting a tough match and it was a tough match. I had chances in the second set. I didn't close it down. I went for it, missed it, and then from there the match pretty much changed," Nagal said after the match.

"The third set was pretty much a dogfight. Some close games, some easy games, trying to save energy, trying to close it down. In the end, I guess he was better than me. That's it." Nagal felt the conditions at the Olympic Park Tennis Center made it particularly difficult to break the defence of Chung, looking to work his way back to top level tennis after injuries derailed his career.

"I mean, the speed is okay. It's a little bit dead, the conditions. It's not easy to hurt if somebody is very good at defence, and I felt like Chung played pretty good defence," he said.

"It gets a little bit tough when the ball is a little bit old to make the ball move, and I felt like he did that job better than me today." The Indian said the outcome ultimately hinged on fine margins, with both players having battled physically and mentally through a demanding deciding set.

"I could say I had a chance at 15-30 in one of the games in the third set. I feel like if I don't miss that forehand, it could be another set or match," Nagal said.

"But when you play for three hours, there are for sure going to be some points where you're going to say, 'I wish I would have done this or done that'. Obviously, there's a bit of regret for the second set." "In the third set, I was trying to do whatever I had left in my tank, and I think he was trying to do the same. So, like I said, it was maybe a difference of two points." Chung said he drew motivation from the home crowd and his coaches while trying to withstand Nagal's challenge.

"I had to make sure that the fans watch what they wanted to watch. Also, I played for coaches who are working on my game after my comeback," Chung said.

Chung, a semi-finalist at the Australia Open in 2018, felt Nagal was beginning to rush his game and tire as the match wore on.

"I was able to see that he was rushing a bit and getting tired. After three hours, whoever was mentally strong, won," said Chung.

The Korean admitted he had gifted Nagal some easy points in the opening set but said he managed to contain his errors thereafter.

"In the first set I gifted easy points, but in the second set I contained my errors," he said.

Earlier, Kwon overcame nerves in the opening set before beating Suresh to put Korea in command.

"I was very nervous in the opening set, so I made errors. But in the second set I figured out his service pattern. I had sorted it out," Kwon said.

Kwon also revealed that he began feeling cramps towards the end of the contest but managed to recover.

"I began feeling cramps also towards the end but got okay. I could not celebrate much due to cramps," he said.

Dhakshineswar acknowledged that he had rushed his game at crucial moments.

"I realised that probably I was rushing a bit much. I will try not to repeat my mistakes in tomorrow's match," he said.

Despite being 0-2 down, Nagal said India would focus on the doubles rubber before thinking about the reverse singles.

"We still have a chance until it's over. Sure, first focus is going to be doubles, and then from there we take it on. There's no point discussing for the next two hours what we're going to do tomorrow. First get the doubles done, and then we take it from there," he said.

Nagal also praised the Korean supporters, saying the home crowd remained respectful despite backing their players.

"I think the Korean crowd is very nice. They're very respectful. It's normal that they cheer for him. I'm not really surprised, but I would say they were pretty calm, comparing to what I've seen in my life," he said.

India will need to win Saturday's doubles rubber to stay alive in the tie.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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