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Hans India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Nagal returns to Davis Cup fold after 2 yrs, Yuki comes back
New Delhi: India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Friday returned to the Davis Cup squad after a two-year absence while number one doubles player Yuki Bhambri also made a comeback to the national fold after missing two ties as the AITA selection panel picked an eight-member squad for the away match against Switzerland. India will travel to the city of Biel for the World Group I first-round tie, which will be played on indoor courts from September 12. Nagal's last appearance was the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023 where he won both his singles matches in India's 4-1 win. He did not travel to Pakistan for the historic tie in February 2024 and also missed the subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo. Nagal has dropped outside the top-300 bracket due to lack of form and unfavourable results this season. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy this month has been his best showing this season. Apart from Nagal (ranked 306), India chose singles players in Karan Singh (403) and young Aryan Shah (442). Sasikumar Mukund (463) and talented Dakshineshwar Suresh (790) will be the reserve singles players for the tie. Top-ranked Bhambri (ranked 35), and N Sriram Balaji (75) are the doubles players chosen in the squad which will have Rithvik Bollipalli (77) as reserve. Bhambri had travelled to Pakistan and contributed to the team's 4-0 win against the hosts in Islamabad but has not featured in the national team since then. The tie will be played on the indoor courts, which are likely to be fast. Nagal's game is best suited for slower courts. 'Sumit Nagal had a great journey to top-100. He plays at a high level, he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy. In the Denmark tie against Holger Rune, it was a tight have to see what kind of bounce the court offers,' India skipper Rohit Rajpal told PTI. Asked about Dakshineshwar's inclusion ahead of a few higher-ranked players, Rajpal said, 'We have been studying his game for some time. His hard court game is good. He is 6'5' and has a big serve, and this is going to be an asset on fast indoors courts. I think, he has a crucial role to play in this tie. 'We will have practice matches and pick the final team on form, fitness and match sharpness,' he added. Rajpal also informed that young Manas Dhamne was available for selection only if he was in the playing squad. 'I don't like these conditions but he has a bright future and this time we have accepted his decision. He wants to up his ranking by playing tournaments.' It will be interesting to see Switzerland's line-up. They had lost to Spain 1-3 in the Davis Cup qualifiers. Jerome Kym is their highest-ranked singles player at number 145, followed by Stan Wawrinka (156), Marc-Andrea Huesler (170) and Dominic Stricker (205). Rajpal said rankings do not reflect the right picture of the European players.
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Nagal progresses to semifinals of Tampere Open
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) India's Sumit Nagal breezed into the singles semifinal of the Tampere ATP Challenger event in Finland following a straight-sets win over Argentine qualifier Nicolas Kicker on Friday. Nagal, ranked 306, pulled off a 6-4 6-3 win over Kicker, who is ranked 361 in the singles ATP chart. It was third meeting between the two players and Nagal now leads the head-to-head record 2-1. The last time they clashed was in 2022 when Kicker emerged winner in the Guayaquil pre-quarterfinals. The 28-year-old Indian won 67 points to 51 of his rival. Gradually getting back to form, Nagal has now matched his best finish of the season as he had ended a semifinalist at the Trieste Challenger in Italy. Nagal has won six Challenger singles titles from 10 finals. Meanwhile, competing at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills in the USA, second-seeded Indian pair of Anirudh Chandrasekar and Ramkumar Ramanathan made a quarterfinal exit after losing 6-4 4-6 7-10 to local wildcards Stefan Dostanic and Benjamin Kittay. PTI AT AM AT AM AM Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Davis Cup: Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri return to India squad for Switzerland clash
Sumit Nagal (PTI Photo) Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri have returned to the Indian Davis Cup squad for the upcoming World Group I first-round clash against Switzerland, to be held in Biel from September 12. This will be Nagal's first appearance since the 2023 home tie against Morocco, while Bhambri re-enters the fold after missing two consecutive ties. India's top-ranked singles player Nagal had missed the historic away tie in Pakistan earlier this year as well as the subsequent contests against Sweden and Togo. His form this season has dipped, resulting in a current ranking of 306. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy remains his best result in 2024. In singles, Nagal will be joined by Karan Singh (403) and 19-year-old Aryan Shah (442). Sasikumar Mukund (463) and Dakshineshwar Suresh (790) have been named as reserves. Bhambri, currently India's highest-ranked doubles player at 35, will partner N Sriram Balaji (75) for the tie. Rithvik Bollipalli (77) is the reserve doubles player. Bhambri had last played for India during the away win over Pakistan in February, but sat out of the ties against Sweden and Togo. Captain Rohit Rajpal backed his comeback along with Nagal's return despite surface challenges. "Sumit Nagal had a great journey to top-100. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nvidia's AI Strategy Is Clear - But Is Wall Street Paying Attention? Seeking Alpha Read More Undo He plays at a high level, he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy," Rajpal told PTI. The tie will be played indoors, with Rajpal acknowledging the likely fast conditions. On Dakshineshwar's inclusion, he added, "We have been studying his game for some time. His hard court game is good. He is 6'5" and has a big serve, and this is going to be an asset on fast indoors courts." Rajpal confirmed that the final playing team will be chosen based on form, fitness and match sharpness during practice in Biel. Poll What factor do you think is most critical for India's success against Switzerland? Player fitness Team strategy Adapting to new conditions Ramkumar Ramanathan was dropped from the squad, with selectors pointing to a lack of form and struggles on the Challenger circuit. The squad was finalised by the AITA selection panel, led by Nandan Bal. India led the head-to-head against Switzerland 2-1, with the last meeting in 1993 resulting in a 3-2 win for the hosts in Calcutta South Club. Indian Squad vs Switzerland Singles: Sumit Nagal, Karan Singh, Aryan Shah Doubles: Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji Reserves: Dakshineshwar Suresh, Sasikumar Mukund, Rithvik Bollipalli For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Sumit Nagal Returns To Davis Cup Fold After 2 Years, Ramkumar Ramanathan Dropped
India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Friday returned to the Davis Cup squad after a two-year absence while number one doubles player Yuki Bhambri also made a comeback to the national fold after missing two ties as the AITA selection panel picked an eight-member squad for the away match against Switzerland. India will travel to the city of Biel for the World Group I first-round tie, which will be played on indoor courts from September 12. Nagal's last appearance was the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023 where he won both his singles matches in India's 4-1 win. He did not travel to Pakistan for the historic tie in February 2024 and also missed the subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo. Nagal has dropped outside the top-300 bracket due to lack of form and unfavourable results this season. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy this month has been his best showing this season. Apart from Nagal (ranked 306), India chose singles players in Karan Singh (403) and young Aryan Shah (442). Sasikumar Mukund (463) and talented Dakshineshwar Suresh (790) will be the reserve singles players for the tie. Top-ranked Bhambri (ranked 35), and N Sriram Balaji (75) are the doubles players chosen in the squad which will have Rithvik Bollipalli (77) as reserve. Bhambri had travelled to Pakistan and contributed to the team's 4-0 win against the hosts in Islamabad but has not featured in the national team since then. The tie will be played on the indoor courts, which are likely to be fast. Nagal's game is best suited for slower courts. "Sumit Nagal had a great journey to top-100. He plays at a high level, he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy. In the Denmark tie against Holger Rune, it was a tight have to see what kind of bounce the court offers," India skipper Rohit Rajpal told PTI. Asked about Dakshineshwar's inclusion ahead of a few higher-ranked players, Rajpal said, "We have been studying his game for some time. His hard court game is good. He is 6'5" and has a big serve, and this is going to be an asset on fast indoors courts. I think, he has a crucial role to play in this tie. "We will have practice matches and pick the final team on form, fitness and match sharpness," he added. Rajpal also informed that young Manas Dhamne was available for selection only if he was in the playing squad. "I don't like these conditions but he has a bright future and this time we have accepted his decision. He wants to up his ranking by playing tournaments." It will be interesting to see Switzerland's line-up. They had lost to Spain 1-3 in the Davis Cup qualifiers. Jerome Kym is their highest-ranked singles player at number 145, followed by Stan Wawrinka (156), Marc-Andrea Huesler (170) and Dominic Stricker (205). Rajpal said rankings do not reflect the right picture of the European players. "In Europe, they do not play many tournaments so their ranking is not high but they can easily beat the top-100 players. It's going to be a tough tie. The Indian team is going through a transition phase and we need to develop players for the future." It may be mentioned that all tennis players receiving funds under various government schemes had given an undertaking that they will make themselves available for national duty. The selection committee led by former Davis Cup coach Nandan Bal dropped Ramkumar Ramanathan from the squad. His axing was expected since the 30-year-old has been struggling on the Tour this season. Ramkumar is one player who can smoothly switch from singles to doubles and vice versa but his form has not been encouraging as he is even struggling to enter the main draws of the singles events on the Challenger Circuit. HEAD-TO-HEAD ========= India have competed against Switzerland thrice, emerging winners twice. The last time the two sides competed was way back in 1993 when hosts India edged Switzerland 3-2 on the grass courts of the Calcutta South Club. The winning team will compete in the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers while the losing nation will get back to the World Group I Play-offs next year. Davis Cup Squad: Singles: Sumit Nagal, Karan Singh and Aryan Shah. Doubles: Yuki Bhambri and N Sriram Balaji.
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Sumit Nagal Back In Action For India! Rejoins Davis Cup Squad For Swiss Tie
Last Updated: Sumit Nagal returns to India's Davis Cup team after two years, joining Yuki Bhambri for the World Group I tie against Switzerland in Biel. India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal has made a return to the national team after a two-year hiatus, while leading doubles specialist Yuki Bhambri is also back in the fold as the All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Friday announced an eight-member squad for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Switzerland. The World Group I first-round clash will be held in the Swiss city of Biel from September 12, on indoor hard courts. Nagal Back After Two-Year Gap Nagal last represented India in the Davis Cup during the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023, where he won both his singles matches to help secure a 4–1 victory. Since then, he missed the landmark away tie in Pakistan in February 2024, along with subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo. Despite a dip in form and ranking—he is currently placed at No. 306—Nagal showed signs of resurgence with a semifinal run at the Trieste Challenger in Italy earlier this month. Joining Nagal in the singles line-up are Karan Singh (ranked 403) and promising youngster Aryan Shah (ranked 442). The reserves for singles are Sasikumar Mukund (463) and Dakshineshwar Suresh (790). In doubles, Bhambri (ranked 35) and N Sriram Balaji (75) have been selected as the main pair, with Rithvik Bollipalli (77) named as reserve. Bhambri last represented India in their historic 4–0 win over Pakistan in Islamabad but missed the next two ties. Indoor Surface Poses Challenge The indoor surface in Biel is expected to be fast, which may not suit Nagal's game, traditionally better on slower courts. However, India's Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal expressed confidence in Nagal's adaptability. 'Sumit Nagal had a great journey to the top 100. He plays at a high level, and he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy. In the Denmark tie against Holger Rune, it was a tight match. We have to see what kind of bounce the court offers," Rajpal told PTI. The final playing squad will be determined based on form, fitness, and match sharpness during practice sessions leading up to the tie. Switzerland, who lost 1–3 to Spain in the recent Davis Cup qualifiers, are expected to field a strong team. Their top-ranked singles player is Jerome Kym (145), followed by veterans Stan Wawrinka (156), Marc-Andrea Huesler (170), and Dominic Stricker (205). Veteran player Ramkumar Ramanathan has been omitted from the squad—a move widely anticipated due to his recent struggles. Once valued for his ability to switch between singles and doubles, Ramkumar has found it difficult to qualify for singles main draws even at the Challenger level. India's Davis Cup Squad: Singles: view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 25, 2025, 18:34 IST News sports Sumit Nagal Back In Action For India! Rejoins Davis Cup Squad For Swiss Tie Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
