India must win three on Day 2 after trailing South Korea 0-2 in Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers

India trail South Korea 0-2 after Day 1 of their Davis Cup 2026 Qualifiers Round 2 tie, leaving Rohit Rajpal’s side needing to win all three matches on Day 2 on September 19, 2026.

India begin the final day with a doubles rubber featuring Sriram Balaji and Niki Poonacha against the South Korean pairing of Nam Jisung and Park Uisung, a match described as must-win for India; the tie is being shown “Live on Veto OTT.” India will be without their top doubles player Yuki Bhambi, who was ruled out with injury.

Both opening singles on Day 1 went the distance in three sets, with DK Suresh losing to Kwon Soonwoo 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 and Sumit Nagal falling to Hyeon Chung 6-2, 4-6, 5-7. The two results left India on the brink after opportunities to take a 2-0 lead were not converted.

Sumit Nagal had chances in his match against Chung: he earned a break and served at 4-3, 40-15 in the second set but then made a forehand unforced error and was broken, surrendering the set 4-6. Nagal recovered from a break down in the third set to level terms but was unable to complete the comeback as Chung produced backhand winners and drop shots that decided the match.

If Balaji and Poonacha win the doubles, Sumit Nagal will play Kwon Soonwoo in the reverse singles; India must win both the doubles and Nagal’s match to level the tie and force a deciding fifth rubber. Should the tie reach a decider, Dhakshineswar Suresh, who was India’s hero in the previous round, would meet Hyeon Chung in the other reverse singles clash.

The scheduled order of matches for Day 2 is listed as: Match 3 — Park Uisung / Jisung Nam vs N Sriram Balaji / Niki Poonacha; Match 4 — Soonwoo Kwon vs Sumit Nagal; Match 5 — Hyeon Chung vs Dhakshineswar Suresh.

The victorious nation from this tie will qualify for the Davis Cup 2026 quarter-finals and will play in the tournament Finals in November.