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Dhakshineswar Suresh Shines As India Clinch 3-2 Davis Cup Win Against Netherlands
Dhakshineswar Suresh Shines As India Clinch 3-2 Davis Cup Win Against Netherlands
25-year-old Dhakshineswar Suresh capped off a brilliant Davis Cup performance by clinching the decisive fifth rubber, bagging India a memorable 3-2 victory over the Netherlands and sealing the nation's place in the Qualifiers Round 2.
This victory over the Dutch highlighted Suresh's rapid rise as India's new match-winner.
Playing in only his second Davis Cup tie, the 25-year-old, fondly known as DK, delivered an extraordinary performance by winning both his singles rubbers and combining with Yuki Bhambri to win the doubles.
This rare feat in Indian Davis Cup history evokes memories of Leander Paes' heroic efforts against Japan in 2004, where Paes won three matches, two singles and a doubles.
Over two decades later, Dhakshineswar, ranked as low as 465, delivered a similarly defining performance. He handled the pressure in the deciding rubber against Guy de Ouden, winning 6-4, 7-6 (4) to emerge as India's new Davis Cup hero.
As he smacked the tie-ending forehand winner, Dhakshineswar fell to his back. His teammates rushed to hug him and carried him on their shoulders, celebrating a rare successive success against European teams.
Last year, India had defeated Switzerland in their own den.
The Netherlands missed their top two singles players – world number 29 Tallon Griekspoor and world number 67 Botic van de Zandschulp – which gave India, ranked as low as 33 in Davis Cup rankings, a fighting chance and they seized it, defeating the world number six team.
This is the first time India has made it to the second round of the Qualifiers since the new Davis Cup format was launched in 2019, bringing them a step closer to the elite eight-team Finals.
They might meet Korea next.
Beginning the day tied 1-1, Yuki Bhambri and Dhakshineswar prevailed in a marathon doubles rubber, outlasting David Pel and Sander Arends 7-6(0), 3-6, 7-6 (1) to put India ahead 2-1.
Sumit Nagal had a one-set advantage but lost 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 to world number 88 Jesper de Jong in an exhausting reverse singles that lasted nearly three hours. This was Nagal's second defeat in the tie, having lost the opening singles.
Captain Rohit Rajpal had called Dhakshineswar his “trump card," and he did not disappoint, delivering an excellent performance. Despite spending close to three hours on court earlier in the day alongside Bhambri in the doubles, Dhakshineswar showed no signs of fatigue as he came out with full energy.
Dhakshineswar's big serve remained his biggest weapon, as he fired 15 aces in the match. He seized the initiative in the opening set, earning his first break in the seventh game when De Ouden committed consecutive backhand errors.
Dhakshineswar had a set point in the ninth game after the Dutchman missed a backhand return, but the chance slipped away. However, he made no mistake in the following game, sealing the set with an ace on his second set point.
De Ouden attempted to stay in the contest, saving a break point with a running forehand winner in the fifth game of the second set. However, Dhakshineswar struck again at 4-4, capitalising on his next opportunity before serving out the tie.
The Indian was tested in the 10th game as his serve came under pressure, but he held firm to make it 5-all.
The set stretched into a tie-break, where Dhakshineswar's composure and power proved decisive as he closed out the match to complete a brilliant win against the Netherlands for the hosts.
Earlier, the doubles contest swung repeatedly for three hours. Captain Rajpal's decision to bring in Dhakshineswar in place of N Sriram Balaji for the high-stakes doubles proved decisive, as the home pair held their nerve to prevail.
The opening set tested patience and resolve. Bhambri's serve was under sustained pressure, particularly in the seventh game when his first serve deserted him.
A double fault at 30-all handed the Dutch a break point, but Bhambri responded with deep returns to eliminate the threat. Dhakshineswar missed a regulation backhand volley on game point, and Arends' awkward yet effective overhead smash aimed at his legs earned the visitors another break chance.
Once again, the Indian pair survived, with Dhakshineswar showing deft touch at the net before Arends finally erred with a long return to end a prolonged game.
India earned its first break opportunity in the following game when Dhakshineswar threaded a forehand winner between Pel and Arends at 30-all, but the Dutch pair escaped.
Bhambri was under siege in the 11th game, as the Indians faced five break points before somehow holding on, drawing loud cheers from the home crowd.
With neither side able to force a breakthrough, the set went into a tie-break, where the Indians suddenly found another gear. Bhambri and Dhakshineswar raced to a 4-0 lead and closed it out without dropping a point, highlighted by Dhakshineswar's sharply-angled passing winner and Bhambri's clean service return winner at 5-0.
The momentum shifted in the second set. Left-handed Pel struggled initially with his first serve, serving two double faults in the third game, but the Indians failed to capitalise.
Bhambri's first-serve troubles resurfaced, and another double fault handed the Netherlands a crucial break opportunity. Arends converted with a crisp backhand volley return winner, opening up a 4-2 lead.
Pel consolidated the break as the visitors tightened their grip, levelling the match at one set apiece.
The deciding set was a battle of attrition. India had multiple chances to break early, most notably when Pel fell to 0-40 after serving two double faults and Bhambri lasered a return winner, but the home pair squandered all three opportunities.
Dhakshineswar then showed composure under pressure to save a break point in the next game. India continued to push, creating chances on Pel's serve again in the eighth game, with Dhakshineswar producing two exquisite return winners, only for the Dutch to escape yet again.
Arends came under pressure at 0-30 in his following service game. The turning point came when Arends took a medical timeout for treatment on his left hand, with his little and ring fingers taped.
From there, the Dutch player struggled to serve with the same effectiveness, allowing the Indians to seize control and close out the match.
(With PTI Inputs)
Source: News18
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