The Indian men’s tennis team created history in BL city of Switzerland on Saturday. The Indian team defeated Switzerland 3–1 to win the Davis Cup 2025 World Group I Tie and secured a place in 2026 qualifiers. This is India’s first win against a team in Europe in 32 years. The last time this achievement was received against France in 1993.
Sumit Nagal defeated 18-year-old Henry Bernet 6–1, 6-3 in the fourth rubber to give India a decisive lead. Earlier, Nagal also won his initial singles and gave India a 2–0 lead. Debutant Dakshineswar Suresh defeated Swiss number 1 Jerome Kim and made a big upset.
Switzerland tried to return to the match by winning doubles, when Yakub Paul and Dominic Striker N. Defeated Shriram Balaji and Ritwik Bolppalli 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-5. The Indian pair had opportunities but missed on important moments. Nagal made no mistake in reverse singles and beat Junior Australian Open Champion Bernet in straight sets.
What did Nagal say after the match
Nagal said after the match, ‘It was a long time for us to win in Europe. The team pushed each other continuously. The doubles were hard and the level was high. I was sweating more while sitting on the sideline. When I had to play with this young player, I knew that it would be difficult, because it is difficult to guess the young players. But I am happy that I showed the best game.
With this victory, India (Ranking 37) defeated the ninth seeded team like Switzerland (Ranking 24) to advance to the 2026 World Group qualifier. Switzerland will now play the World Group I Play-off.
The Indian team (1966, 1974, 1987), who reached the final three times, would now want to move towards the top level.
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