September: India slipped 2-0 behind South Korea in their Davis Cup World Group Qualifiers tie after Sumit Nagal lost to Hyeon Chung in a hard-fought three-set singles match on Friday.
Chung defeated Nagal 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, completing a comeback after the Indian No. 1 had dominated the opening set.
Nagal made an impressive start, breaking Chung’s serve twice and taking the first set 6-2 with aggressive baseline play and clean hitting.
Chung Fights Back to Level Match
Chung responded strongly in the second set, winning it 6-4 to level the match.
Nagal had broken early in a gruelling seven-deuce fourth game, but Chung fought back to reclaim the break and level the set at 4-4. The South Korean then capitalised on crucial errors from Nagal to break again in the final game and force a deciding set.
Nagal’s Comeback Falls Short
Nagal fell 1-3 behind in the deciding set but fought back to level the score at 4-4 after breaking Chung.
The two players then traded holds as the contest intensified. Chung held serve at 5-5 before breaking Nagal in the final game to seal the match.
The defeat leaves India 0-2 down in the tie after the opening two singles rubbers.
The next contest will be the doubles match, with India’s N Sriram Balaji and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha taking on South Korea’s Jisung Nam and Uisung Park. If India win the doubles rubber, the tie will move to a fourth match.