Davis Cup: India Face South Korea With Davis Cup Final 8 Berth On The Line (Preview)

Davis Cup: India face South Korea with Davis Cup Final 8 berth on the line (Preview) (Davis Cup: India face South Korea with Davis Cup Final 8 berth on the line (Preview))

Davis Cup Final Eight: India will have a place in the Davis Cup Final Eight firmly in their sights when they take on South Korea in the second round of the 2026 Qualifiers at Seoul’s Olympic Tennis Centre on Friday and Saturday.

Ranked 19th in the Davis Cup standings, India will meet a South Korean side sitting three places higher at No. 16. The tie will be played on hard courts, with the winner securing a spot in the Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November.

Dhakshineswar Suresh, ranked 367th in the world, will get India’s campaign underway in Friday’s opening singles match against Kwon Soon-woo. Sumit Nagal, India’s highest-ranked singles player at No. 247, will then face Chung Hyeon, the former Australian Open semi-finalist.

The doubles encounter on Saturday will see N Sriram Balaji and Niki Kalyanda Poonacha, ranked 49th and 88th respectively, line up against Nam Ji-sung and Park Ui-sung. Poonacha was drafted into the squad after Yuki Bhambri, India’s leading doubles player, was forced to withdraw because of a thigh injury.

The reverse singles could see Nagal take on Kwon before Suresh faces Chung in the potential deciding fifth rubber.

India arrive in Seoul after a thrilling 3-2 win over the Netherlands in Bengaluru in February. Suresh was central to that success, featuring in all three victories and clinching the decisive fifth rubber.

South Korea also advanced with a 3-2 triumph, overcoming Argentina in Busan.

India have won their last two Davis Cup ties against South Korea, including a 4-1 success in Chandigarh in 2016. The Koreans nevertheless hold a 6-5 advantage in the overall head-to-head record.

India have finished runners-up three times, in 1966, 1974 and 1987, but have yet to make the Final 8 since the competition adopted its current format.

Where to watch: The India-South Korea Davis Cup tie will be streamed live on Veto in India. There will be no television broadcast of the matches in the country.

India vs South Korea schedule:

September 18, Friday

Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Kwon Soon-woo - 10:30 AM

Sumit Nagal vs Chung Hyeon - (after previous match)

September 19, Saturday

N Sriram Balaji/Niki Poonacha vs Nam Ji-sung/Park Ui-sung - 8:30 AM

Sumit Nagal vs Kwon Soon-woo - (if required, after previous match)

Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Chung Hyeon - (if required, after previous match)

Squads:

Dhakshineswar Suresh vs Chung Hyeon - (if required, after previous match)

South Korea: Kwon Soon-woo, Chung Hyeon, Hong Seong-chan, Nam Ji-sung, Park Ui-sung; Captain: Jeong Jong-sam

Article Source: IANS