Dhakshineswar Suresh once again rose to the occasion, outgunning Dutch number one Jesper de Jong in a battle of big servers to level the Qualifiers Round 1 tie 1-1 against the Netherlands, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
India takes on the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifier, relying on faster playing conditions and the return of Yuki Bhambri to overcome a depleted Dutch side.
Bengaluru to host India-Netherlands Davis Cup tie on February 7-8
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N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli sealed India's place in the Davis Cup World Group I with a convincing straight sets victory in the doubles for an unassailable 3-0 lead against Togo in the play-off tie in New Delhi on Sunday.
India progressed to the Davis Cup Qualifiers for the first time ever after Sumit Nagal tamed aggressive teenager Henry Bernet in the first reverse singles to script the team's 3-1 win over Switzerland.
India will travel to the city of Biel for the World Group I first-round tie, which will be played on indoor courts from September 12.
Indian Davis Cup team capped its historic visit to Pakistan after 60 years by sealing its place in World Group I as it blanked Pakistan 4-0 with Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni recording a comfortable victory and Niki Poonacha making a winning debut, in Islamabad on Sunday.
Sasikumar Mukund returned to Davis Cup action with a fluent straight-sets victory over lower-ranked Liova Ayite Ajavon, putting India ahead 1-0 in the World Group I play-off tie against Togo, in New Delhi, Saturday.
Sasikumar Mukund will aim for a winning return to the Davis Cup fold as India faces Togo in the World Group I Play-off.
Sumit Nagal on Monday dropped out of the much-desired bracket following a string of poor show
Former Indian tennis captain Anand Amritraj has criticized top players Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri for not playing in the Davis Cup, stating that money should not be a factor when representing the country.
Sasikumar Mukund, who was banned by AITA on disciplinary grounds, is back as India's best-ranked player for the World Group I Play-off tie against Togo, starting on Saturday.
India will play against Togo in the Davis Cup World Group I Play-offs to be held between January 31 and February 2 next year, according to the draw conducted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in London on Monday.
He said rather than think about what is stopping Indian players from making an impact in Grand Slams, the focus should be on doing well in the upcoming Davis Cup tie.
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) selection panel picked a five-member squad in which Mukund will be the highest-ranked singles player at number 368.
A year before he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2005, Rafa made his debut in India at the Chennai Open.
Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan saved three match-points in an edge-of-the-seat thriller to prevail over a fighting Danish pair of Frederik Nielsen and Mikael Torpegaard as India kept its place in the Davis Cup World Group I by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Play-off tie, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji could play well only in patches to lose the do-or-die doubles against Andre Goransson and Filip Bergevi.
The All India Tennis Association claimed that Sumit Nagal demanded an annual fee of $50,000 to play Davis Cup ties for India.
India has never beaten Sweden in five attempts in the Davis Cup.
The Davis Cup tie will be held either on September 16-17 or 17-18 while tennis event at the Asian Games are scheduled to be held from September 10-14.
N Sriram Balaji was easily tamed by Elias Ymer, while Ramkumar Ramanathan went down to a lower-ranked Leo Borg as India were left trailing 0-2 against Sweden in the Davis Cup World Group I tie.
For the second consecutive Davis Cup tie, India are relying on doubles specialist N Sriram Balaji to do the singles duty
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Tuesday suggested that the country's top player Sumit Nagal perhaps deliberately missed the Davis Cup tie against Sweden last week
India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Friday returned to the Davis Cup team for the World Group I tie against Sweden but Yuki Bhambri has opted out of the September 14-15 contest,
The Indian Davis Cup squad will travel to Pakistan for the first time since 1964. India defeated Pakistan 4-0 in their most recent neutral site match in 2019.
India were on Thursday drawn to meet Sweden in an away Davis Cup World Group I tie in September.
The last time an Indian Davis Cup team travelled to Pakistan was way back in 1964.
India have been drawn against former champions Russia while there's a possibility of Roger Feder facing Rafael Nadal, as Switzerland have been drawn against defending champions Spain.
The ITF tribunal has rejected AITA's contention that its Davis Cup team could face security concerns during the World Group I Play-off tie in Islamabad, paving the way for an Indian tennis team's visit to Pakistan for the first time in 60 years.
This is the first time, after three consecutive home ties, that that India will play an away tie for a place in the World Group.
The freezing cold made the conditions challenging for the players.
Thomas Johansson beat Praskah Amritraj in the reverse singles to secure a 3-1 lead over India.
Veteran Leander Paes was, on Tuesday, dropped from the Indian Davis Cup squad for the World Group away tie against Serbia scheduled from September 14 to 16.
The PTF chief said there was a deadline for the AITA to send final arrival confirmation and if they didn't travel to Pakistan the International Tennis Federation (ITF) would consider the Davis Cup tie as forfeited, awarding full points to the hosts.
Chile, Austria, Croatia, Israel, Romania and the Netherlands secured places in the World Group of the Davis Cup for 2009 after completing playoff victories in the reverse singles on Sunday.
India blunted Pakistan's challenge on the opening day to take a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup World Group I play-off tie with Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji rising to the occasion in the high-pressure contest, in Islamabad on Saturday.
A 'hybrid model' to host next year's Champions Trophy in Pakistan remains an option as India's participation cannot be decided by the ICC if there is a government policy against it, a source in the governing body's all-powerful executive board told PTI on Friday.
Davis Cup: Ramkumar to lead Indian challenge against Pakistan on grass courts
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