BENGALURU: The opening round of the Davis Cup qualifiers between India and the Netherlands at the SM Krishna Stadium on Saturday was nothing but drama. After Dutchman Guy Den Ouden's crushing win over India's premier singles player Sumit Nagal, big-serving Dhakshineswar Suresh led the hosts fightback, beating the Netherlands number 1 Jesper de Jong.
With high-quality serves and accurate movement across the court, Suresh delivered at the big stage when India needed it the most.
The 25-year-old from Madurai capitalised on Jong's inconsistent serve as the tie finished in 45 minutes. Jong, world ranked 88, did not have an answer to Suresh's varied pace and placement. The second set was intense, with both players trading holds early on. Jong mounted a comeback attempt, pushing Suresh to deuce in several games, but the Indian broke late to take a 6-5 lead. Suresh then served out the match confidently, sealing the win on his second match point with a powerful forehand.
Earlier, Guy Den Ouden's huge groundstrokes, big serves, and aggressive court positioning crushed Nagal in the first set completely, as the Dutchman swept the opener 6-0 with a dominant display.
Nagal responded in the second set, winning it 6-4. He seemed to have gotten his movement right, creating space for the aggressive forehand shots. He was holding serve and finding a better rhythm to control the points. After squandering three break points, Nagal finally converted his fourth, attacking the Dutchman's second serve to force a volley error and earn a crucial break. Buoyed by the breakthrough, Nagal served at love for a 5-3 lead and closed out the set without fuss to draw parity.
Nagal continued his fight in the third set, recovering from 0-3 down to 3-4, still at the match. However, Ouden held his nerve, winning the tie 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.
Ouden, who was playing his first-ever international match in Bengaluru, where the home crowd was cheering for Nagal, dominated the pressure moments. With a proper mix of serve and volley, Ouden was converting more break points than Nagal, especially in the first and deciding sets, which allowed him to seize control and clinch the Davis Cup opener for the Netherlands.
Nagal assessed his performances post-match and felt that he could have done better in the third set.
"I'm a little disappointed with my third set, especially the games at 1-0 and then around 4-3. Ouden came up with two unbelievable shots at important moments — one return and one backhand cross-court on the run. If you can play shots like that at such crucial points, you deserve to win," Nagal said.