India–Netherlands Davis Cup tie goes down to the wire after Sumit Nagal setback

The Davis Cup Qualifiers tie between India and the Netherlands was dragged into a decisive final rubber on Sunday after Sumit Nagal’s reverse singles loss allowed the visitors to draw level at 2-2, wiping out the advantage India had earned through their dramatic doubles win earlier in the day. Nagal, who had given India the perfect start by taking the opening set, could not sustain the momentum as he went down 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 to world number 88 Jesper de Jong in a punishing contest that stretched close to three hours. The defeat set up a winner-takes-all fifth singles, with Dhakshineswar Suresh once again entrusted with the responsibility of seeing India through. He faces Dutch debutant Guy de Ouden, who had beaten Nagal on Saturday. India had earlier surged ahead 2-1 after Yuki Bhambri and Dhakshineswar Suresh edged past David Pel and Sander Arends in a gripping doubles rubber, winning 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1) in a match that swung repeatedly over three hours. In the reverse singles, Nagal broke De Jong in the opening game and kept his errors in check early on. The Dutchman, however, clawed his way back by winning three games in succession to take a narrow lead.

After trading breaks, Nagal found another lift late in the set, breaking in the 11th game and closing it out confidently with a powerful forehand winner. The conditions slowed in the second set, which initially appeared to suit Nagal’s counter-punching game. De Jong, though, wrested control with a double break to open up a 5-1 lead. Despite Nagal saving multiple break points in a long sixth game, De Jong eventually forced a decider. The Dutchman struck early in the final set and gradually wore Nagal down in a physically demanding phase. Although Nagal managed to break back once, De Jong held his nerve to seal the match and level the tie. Earlier, India captain Rohit Rajpal’s decision to pair Bhambri with Dhakshineswar in doubles proved inspired. The opening set saw Bhambri repeatedly tested on serve, but the Indian pair survived several break points before dominating the tie-break without conceding a point. The Netherlands responded in the second set as Bhambri’s serving troubles resurfaced, allowing the visitors to break and level the contest. The deciding set became a battle of patience, with India creating multiple break chances that initially went begging. The turning point came after Arends required a medical timeout for his left hand. From that moment, his serving lost its bite, and the Indians finally seized the opening to clinch the match and hand themselves a slender advantage that now rests on the shoulders of Dhakshineswar in the decisive fifth rubber.