Kamal Ghorui
BENGALURU: Dhakshineswar Suresh’s sledgehammer serve drove India to a shock 3-2 win over fancied Netherlands at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium, the lanky 25-year-old completing a perfect three-from-three in the opening round of the Davis Cup World Group qualifiersGo Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Ranked 465, and playing only his second tie, Suresh capped a remarkable weekend by defeating Dutch No. 2 Guy den Ouden 6-4, 7-6 (4) an opponent ranked nearly 300 places above him.Standing 6 ft 5’ and buoyed by a vocal Indian bench, Suresh fired down 15 aces and won an imposing 85 percent of points on his first serve to come through in one-hour and 38 minutes.Leander Paes was the last Indian to win three matches in a Davis Cup tie, achieving the feat 22 years ago against New Zealand in an away contest, when he claimed both singles rubbers and the doubles.India’s 3-2 triumph echoed a stirring victory over the Dutch 30 years ago on the grass courts of Jaipur’s Jai Club. The Netherlands’ non-playing captain, Paul Haarhuis, was part of that visiting team in February 1996.India will next face South Korea away in the second round of the World Group qualifiers in September.Earlier when word spread that Suresh had replaced Sriram Balaji to partner world No. 20 Yuki Bhambri in the pivotal doubles rubber, a ripple of disbelief ran through the picturesque Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association grounds and beyond.For one, the Indians were up against the seasoned top-40 pairing of Sander Arends and David Pel. More significantly, Bhambri and the 25-year-old Suresh, who has spent much of the past few years on the US collegiate tour and is ranked outside the top 450 in both singles and doubles, had never paired together at any level.Yet, before a home crowd that spared no decibel, even cheering between serves, Bhambri and Suresh produced a composed, resilient performance. They prevailed 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1) in just over three hours to halt Pel and Arends, the latter injuring his pinkie late in the contest.After the teams split sets, the Indian bench was bolstered midway through the match by the arrival of doubles ace Rohan Bopanna, while Sumit Nagal, courtside for much of the opening encounter, orchestrated the crowd’s energy.The decider stayed on serve. In the 12th game, with Pel serving at 5-6 and 0-15, the Dutch pair took a medical timeout as Arends received treatment for his injured finger at courtside before returning to play. Pel managed to hold, but the momentum had shifted decisively. In the ensuing tie-break, the Indians were flawless, closing out yet another breaker on the day.In the fourth match, Sumit Nagal went down 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 to world No. 88 Jesper de Jong in just under three hours, allowing the visitors to draw level at 2-2.In the decider, the India No. 1, ranked some 200 places below his opponent, fell behind by a double break. At 4-1, with De Jong serving for a 5-1 lead, Nagal, who appeared to have stretched himself in the previous game, took a medical timeout.Playing with his right thigh strapped, Nagal clawed his way back to 4-4, but was broken in the ninth game. This time, the 25-year-old Dutchman made no mistake in closing out the match, but in stretching the fourth match Nagal ensured Suresh had sufficient time to recover for the fifth match.
