BENGALURU: Fast emerging as a vital cog in India's Davis Cup plans, Dhakshineswar Suresh once again rose to the occasion, outgunning Dutch number one Jesper de Jong in a battle of big servers to level the Qualifiers Round 1 tie 1-1 against the Netherlands here on Saturday.
Ranked as low as 465, Dhakshineswar won the battle of big servers against the world No.88 de Jong, ensuring India did not slip further after Sumit Nagal's defeat in the opening singles earlier in the day.
The victory reinforced Dhakshineswar's growing stature as a dependable Davis Cup player, following his match-winning effort against a higher-ranked opponent against Switzerland last year.
India had fallen behind after Nagal mounted a strong comeback from a disastrous start but could not sustain the momentum, losing 0-6 6-4 3-6 to Netherlands' Guy de Ouden in a two-hour-and-28-minute battle.
Nagal was blown away in the opening set as De Ouden dropped just one point on his serve and wrapped it up in 38 minutes, repeatedly pinning the Indian behind the baseline with deep returns.
The Indian fought back strongly in the second set, improving his serve and converting a crucial break to draw parity, but De Ouden struck at key moments in the decider, breaking in the eighth game before serving out the match to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead.
With the pressure firmly on him to keep India alive in the tie, Dhakshineswar responded with a composed display against de Jong, who had come into the contest without a win this season.
The two players served strongly in the opening set, keeping points short, before the Indian seized his chance late to nose ahead.
Dhakshineswar showed similar composure in the second set, saving a break point early and capitalising on de Jong's faltering serve at the crucial stage to seal the contest.
In a match where there was little to separate the two early on, both players served strongly and kept points short, avoiding long rallies.
Dhakshineswar began to apply pressure when de Jong served to stay in the opening set, forcing errors and converting his third set point to take the lead.
The Indian showed similar composure in the second set, saving a break point in game three with a strong rally before capitalising on de Jong's faltering serve at the crucial stage.
The Dutchman committed two double faults while serving to stay in the set, and Dhakshineswar sealed the contest with a blistering forehand winner on the run.
The tie is now evenly poised at 1-1.
Yuki Bhambri and N.Sriram Balaji will face Sander Arends and David Pel in the doubles on Sunday.
The reverse singles will be played after the doubles rubber.
The winner of the tie will advance to the Qualifiers Round 2 in September, while the losing team will compete in World Group I.
Earlier, Nagal was blown away in the first set.
The Dutchman held serve without losing a point in the opening game and immediately put Nagal under pressure.
From 40-0 up, Nagal conceded his serve with two double faults and a string of unforced errors as De Ouden's deep returns exposed the lack of sting in the Indian's strokes.
Keeping the points short and reading the conditions well, De Ouden mixed his game smartly, even using serve-and-volley to open up a 3-0 lead.
Nagal again faltered in his next service game, conceding multiple break points through forehand errors.
A cross-court backhand sailing long on the second break chance gave the Dutchman a commanding 4-0 lead.
Serving to stay in the set, Nagal saved one set point but surrendered the next, going down 0-6 in front of the home crowd.
Nagal showed greater resolve in the second set, holding serve at love early and finding better rhythm on his serve to control the points.
The set stayed on serve till the seventh game when De Ouden faced sustained pressure for the first time.
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.
The deciding set proved to be a tense affair.
Nagal was broken in the second game after missing a forehand volley while rushing the net.
Though he earned five break points later, converting one to briefly stay in the contest, De Ouden struck back at the crucial moment.
A stunning backhand passing winner earned the Dutchman a decisive break, which was sealed when Nagal netted a backhand volley while looking to finish the point early.