0 vs Switzerland with Sumit Nagal, Dhakshineswar Suresh

The Indian tennis team enjoyed a solid start to their Davis Cup 2025 World Group I tie against ninth-seeded Switzerland after Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal won their respective singles rubbers at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel on Friday.

Dhakshineswar Suresh pulled off an upset by beating Jerome Kym 7(7)-6(4), 6-3 in the opening singles, while two-time Olympian Sumit Nagal defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-3, 7(7)-6(4) in the second.

Pitted against world No. 155 Jerome Kym in the first match, Dhakshineswar Suresh, 626th in the ATP tennis rankings, saved three break points in the fourth game and never dropped serve, holding firm to pocket the first set in the tie-break.

The Indian tennis player saved a couple of break points each in the fifth and seventh games of the second set as well before Jerome Kym lost his serve in the eighth, paving the way for a stunning straight-set win for Dhakshineswar Suresh.

The second match of the tie saw Sumit Nagal break Marc-Andrea Huesler in the first game before saving break points in the fifth and seventh. He then broke Huesler again in the ninth game to close out the first set.

The second set stayed on serve throughout, leading to a tie-break that Nagal won 7-4.

With two wins on the opening day, India, 37th in the Davis Cup team rankings, require just one more victory to win their World Group I tie against world No. 24 Switzerland.

Action on Day 2 is scheduled to begin with N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli facing Jakub Paul and Henry Bernet in the doubles match.

Sumit Nagal is set to face Jerome Kym and Dhakshineswar Suresh takes on Marc-Andrea Huesler in the reverse singles rubbers.

The winner of the India vs Switzerland tie will advance to the 2026 Qualifiers 1st Round, while the losing nation will be relegated to the 2026 World Group I play-offs.

Since the Davis Cup format was revamped in 2019, India have not won their World Group I ties to enter the Qualifiers. The Indian tennis team has finished runners-up on three occasions in 1966, 1974 and 1987.

Click here to read article