Bengaluru: India’s Dhakshineswar Suresh (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) Dhakshineswar Suresh announced himself as India’s latest Davis Cup match-winner on Sunday, sealing a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Netherlands by claiming the decisive fifth rubber to guide the hosts into the 2nd round of qualifying. In his second Davis Cup appearance, the 25-year-old player performed a performance that will be remembered for years. Dhakshineswar won both his singles matches and partnered Yuki Bhambri to win the doubles, completing a rare hat-trick of wins in a single draw for India. The feat inevitably drew comparisons with Leander Paes’ legendary heroics against Japan in 2004, when Paes single-handedly won two singles and a doubles match to see India through. More than 20 years later, Dhakshineswar created a similarly defining moment. Ranked up to 465, he held his nerve under immense pressure in the final rubber against Guy de Ouden to win 6-4, 7-6 (4). When his final forehand winner landed, Dhakshineswar collapsed on his back before being engulfed and hoisted onto his shoulders by his teammates, the celebrations marking another memorable European scalp for India. India started the tie as underdogs but found an opportunity when the Netherlands arrived without their top two singles players, world number 29 Tallon Griekspoor and world number 67 Botic van de Zandschulp. The absence gave India, ranked 33rd in the Davis Cup rankings, a real opportunity and they seized it to defeat the world number six. The win also had historical significance. It was the first time India reached the second round of qualifying since the introduction of the improved Davis Cup format in 2019, taking them a step closer to the elite eight team final. Their next opponent is expected to be Korea. At the start of Sunday’s match, the score was tied 1:1. Dhakshineswar and Bhambri then overcame a thrilling doubles contest to see off David Pelo and Sander Arends 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1) to give India a 2-1 lead. The match lasted almost three hours and saw repeated swings before the home pair held their nerve in both tie-breaks. Sumit Nagal had a chance to level the tie in the first reverse singles game but failed to capitalize. He lost the opening set 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 to world number one Jesper de Jong in a physically draining match that lasted nearly three hours. It was Nagala’s second loss of the tie as he also fell in the opening singles match. The responsibility thus rested squarely on Dhakshineswar, whom captain Rohit Rajpal described as his “trump card”. Despite spending nearly three hours on court earlier in the day in the doubles, Dhakshineswar showed no signs of fatigue as he retired for the deciding rubber. His delivery again proved to be decisive. Dhakshineswar hit 15 aces and consistently dictated play behind his serve. He earned a crucial break in the opening set in the seventh game when De Ouden committed back-to-back backhand errors. Although Dhakshineswar missed a set point in the ninth game, he immediately regrouped and sealed the set with an ace at the second chance. The second set was tighter. De Ouden fought hard to stay alive, saving a break point in the fifth game with a running forehand winner. Dhakshineswar broke again at 4-4 but then faced the pressure on serve, only to hold firm to force a tie-break. There, his composure and power stood out as he pulled away to seal the contest and complete a memorable win for the hosts. Earlier in the day, the doubles set the tone for India’s success. Rajpal’s bold decision to field Dhakshineswar instead of N Sriram Balaji for high quality rubber proved to be inspirational. The opening set was a test of patience. Bhambri’s serve came under sustained pressure, especially in the long seventh game, which featured several break points. Despite double-faults and missed chances, the Indian pair came through, aided by Dhakshineswar’s sharp work at the net. Neither side was able to gain ground and the set went to a tie-break. There, the Indians suddenly surged forward, racing to a 4-0 lead and closing it out without conceding a point, highlighted by a sharply tipped winner from Dhakshineswar and a clean return winner from Bhambri. The momentum shifted in the second set as the Netherlands tightened up. Bhambri’s first-serve struggles returned and the visitors secured a crucial break to level the match. The decisive set became a battle of endurance. India created several early chances, including the opener at 0-40 on Pelo’s serve, but failed to convert. Dhakshineswar then saved a break point in the next game to keep India alive. More chances came and went before the turning point came when Arends took a medical timeout to undergo treatment on his left hand. From then on, his serve dropped and the Indians finally took control and sealed the match in a tie-break to secure one win for India. Dhakshineswar ensured there was no delay thereafter and under pressure scripted one of India’s most memorable Davis Cup victories in recent years.
