Davis Cup Qualifier: Faster Courts Favour Dhakshineswar Suresh As India Take On Netherlands

Last Updated:February 06, 2026, 13:38 IST

With surface conditions, player fitness, and selection dynamics all in play, the two-day contest is expected to be closely fought.

The faster playing conditions in Bengaluru are anticipated to benefit Dhakshineswar Suresh more than India’s top singles player Sumit Nagal as the hosts face the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Qualifier round one tie, starting Saturday. With Nagal recovering from a minor hip injury, India is likely to rely heavily on Dhakshineswar’s ability to utilise the quicker surface, particularly in the opening singles.

The conditions favour first-strike tennis and aggressive shot-making, areas where Dhakshineswar has proven he can excel under pressure.

Nagal has been making good progress and appears increasingly comfortable in practice. However, doubts linger over how his body will react once the tie transitions to high-intensity match play. The physical demands of singles at altitude, coupled with the court’s speed, could challenge Nagal’s movement and endurance, especially if matches extend into lengthy rallies. Nevertheless, he is accustomed to the conditions, having recently competed in the Bengaluru Open and WTL.

Dhakshineswar’s role could be crucial once again, similar to Switzerland last year when he stepped up to win vital singles matches in India’s historic away victory. He set the tone by winning the opening rubber, allowing Nagal to settle into the tie, where Nagal subsequently won both his singles.

The Netherlands are also expected to favour the faster conditions, as their players are more familiar with such surfaces.

However, the visitors have been weakened due to the absence of their top two singles players — Tallon Griekspoor (world No. 29) and Botic van de Zandschulp (world No. 67) — which has somewhat balanced the contest.

The Indian camp believes that the withdrawal of top Dutch players has made it an intriguing battle where the home team feels it has a chance for a second consecutive upset win in the Davis Cup.

The Dutch will be led by world No. 88 Jesper de Jong, who has been steadily climbing the rankings. De Jong has already recorded significant wins over top-30 players, including Jakub Mensik (world No. 16), compatriot Griekspoor, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (world No. 26), and will pose the biggest singles challenge for India.

India will need to target Guy den Ouden, ranked 162, who will be making his Davis Cup debut. Den Ouden has mostly competed on the ITF and ATP Challenger circuits during the 2025 season and lacks experience at the highest level of international team competition.

For India, it will be crucial to control the early momentum in singles, especially given Nagal’s fitness concerns. How effectively Dhakshineswar can take advantage of the conditions may well determine the outcome of the tie.

India’s doubles team has been strengthened by the return of Yuki Bhambri, currently enjoying a career-best ranking of 20. Bhambri’s presence adds depth and experience to the doubles combination, giving India a strong chance to secure the crucial third rubber.

Bhambri will team up with N Sriram Balaji, who was initially not selected for the squad. He replaces Rithvik Bollipalli. They will face Sandre Arends and David Pel.

“We just felt that Balaji has been playing back-to-back tournaments, he just played in Bahrain, had a very good result and came here. And Rithvik for that matter, he’s playing very well. It was a difficult decision, but I think that he’s not played actively in tournaments for the last month-and-a-half, or two months," Rajpal said, explaining the decision. “Balaji has been very sharp. We thought it would be better that instead of getting Rithvik into a tough pressure Davis Cup match, give him more time to gradually come back in," he added.

With surface conditions, player fitness, and selection dynamics all in play, the two-day contest is expected to be closely fought as India aims to leverage home advantage against a weakened but competitive Dutch side.

The defeated team will return to the World Group I tie in September, while the winners will advance to the Qualifiers second Round and move a step closer to the eight-team Finals.

Match Schedule

Saturday: Sumit Nagal vs Guy Den Ouden; Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Jesper de Jong.

Sunday: Yuki Bhambri/N Sriram Balaji vs Sandre Arends/David Pel; Sumit Nagal vs Jesper de Jong; Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Guy Den Ouden.

With PTI Inputs

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