Davis Cup: Nagal, Suresh lead India to historic 3-1 win over Switzerland in World Group 1
India’s tennis stars have pulled off a stunning victory in the Davis Cup, beating Switzerland 3-1 in a thrilling World Group 1 first-round clash at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel. This marks India’s first win against a European team on European soil since 1993, a huge milestone for Indian tennis.
Sumit Nagal, India’s top singles player, wrapped up the win with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 victory over Henry Bernet in the reverse singles on Saturday. Nagal dominated the 18-year-old Swiss youngster, breaking his serve three times in the first set and once more in the second to seal the deal.
The Indian squad echoed the heroics of a legendary team featuring Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan, who defeated France 3-2 in the quarterfinals back in the day. This triumph pushes India into the 2026 Davis Cup World Group Qualifiers, while Switzerland drops to the World Group I play-offs.
It’s even more special because India hasn’t won a World Group I tie since the Davis Cup format changed in 2019. The country has come close before, finishing as runners-up in 1966, 1974, and 1987—now they’re back in the big leagues.
The action kicked off strong on Friday with youngster Dhakshineswar Suresh stealing the show on debut. The rising star upset higher-ranked Jerome Kym 7-6(5), 6-3 in the opening singles, giving India a flying start. Nagal followed up with a gritty win over Marc-Andrea Huesler, triumphing 8-3, 7-6(1) to hand India a 2-0 lead after the first day’s singles.
Switzerland bounced back in the doubles, though. Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker fought hard to beat India’s N. Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5. The Indians grabbed the first set in a tie-break but lost momentum, getting broken in key moments of the next two sets. The match lasted two hours and 21 minutes, narrowing the gap to 2-1.
All eyes then turned to Nagal’s decisive match against Bernet, and he delivered big time. With this result, 13 winning teams from World Group I ties, including India, advance to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers. The losers head to the play-offs, but for India, it’s a historic step forward in Davis Cup history.
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