Davis Cup | An even contest in the offing on the hard-courts of Seoul

India is not an elite tennis nation. Yet, it is among the elite 15 still remaining in this year’s Davis Cup, a position it last attained in 2011 as part of the 16-team World Group in the erstwhile Cup format.

Starting Friday, India will attempt to soar higher when it takes on South Korea in round two of the Davis Cup Qualifiers. At stake in Seoul is a place in the Finals, an ultra-elite grouping of eight nations including defending champion Italy.

“It’s a mix of pressure and motivation,” India No. 1 Sumit Nagal told The Hindu from Seoul. “There is always pressure when you play for the country. There is motivation as well because we have never been in this situation. We are going to put our hearts into it.” Fine performances against higher-ranked European nations, like the 3-1 victory over Switzerland in September 2025 and the 3-2 success over Netherlands earlier in 2026, have been the catalysts.

Luck has been a factor too. Switzerland and Netherlands didn’t have all of their best players, and now South Korea is ranked just three places above (16 to India’s 19).

In fact, of the countries still in the tournament, which include heavyweights such as Spain, France, the United States and Germany, the bottom three are South Korea, India and Ecuador (23).

This makes the upcoming hard-court tie an even contest. In Soonwoo Kwon, Korea has a multiple-time Tour titlist and someone ranked World No. 52 in 2021. The 28-year-old is returning after 18 months of compulsory military service, and is back up to No. 157.

Hyeon Chung, 30, has had an injury-ravaged career, but was in the top-20 in 2018 and even beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open that year. Kwon and Chung fashioned the memorable 3-2 triumph over Argentina in February 2026.

“They are good, and they have played the ATP-level for many years,” said Nagal. “Kwon is a good baseliner and Chung has a lot of experience. It’s going to be tough.”

India’s trump card may again be the big-serving Dhakshineswar Suresh. The 26-year-old is not yet a regular on the Tour, but has a 4-0 Davis Cup record and won both his singles and doubles rubbers against Netherlands.

“The courts are pretty slow but I still have to use my weapons and stay more patient than rushing through the points,” opined Dhakshineswar. “But you have to adapt, like playing on the Tour, because conditions will be different every week.”