Davis Cup: Nagal fights back after bagel but India trail 0-1

Bengaluru, Feb 7 (PTI) Sumit Nagal mounted a strong comeback after being bageled in the first set but could not sustain the momentum as he lost the opening singles to Netherlands’ Guy de Ouden, leaving India trailing 0-1 in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Round 1 tie here Saturday.

After battling hard for two hours and 28 minutes, Nagal lost 0-6 6-4 3-6.

The onus to bring India back in tie is now on Dhakshineswar Suresh, who is up against Dutch number one and world number 73 Jesper de Jong.

Nagal was blown away in the first set as De Ouden dropped just one point on his serve and wrapped it up in 38 minutes.

The Dutchman held serve without losing a point in the opening game and immediately put Nagal under pressure.

From 40-0 up, Nagal conceded his serve

with two double faults and a string of unforced errors as De Ouden’s deep returns exposed the lack of sting in the Indian’s strokes.

Keeping the points short and reading the conditions well, De Ouden mixed his game smartly, even using serve-and-volley to open up a 3-0 lead.

Nagal again faltered in his next service game, conceding multiple break points through forehand errors. A cross-court backhand sailing long on the second break chance gave the Dutchman a commanding 4-0 lead.

Serving to stay in the set, Nagal saved one set point but surrendered the next, going down 0-6 in front of the home crowd.

Nagal showed greater resolve in the second set, holding serve at love early and finding better rhythm on his serve to control the points. The set stayed on serve till the seventh game when De Ouden faced sustained pressure for the first time.

After squandering three break points, Nagal finally converted his fourth, attacking the Dutchman’s second serve to force a volley error and earn a crucial break.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, Nagal served at love for a 5-3 lead and closed out the set without fuss to draw parity.

The deciding set proved to be a tense affair.

Nagal was broken in the second game after missing a forehand volley while rushing to the net. Though he earned five break points later, converting one to briefly stay in the contest, De Ouden struck back at the crucial moment.

A stunning backhand passing winner earned the Dutchman a decisive break, which was sealed when Nagal netted a backhand volley while looking to finish the point early in game eight.

De Ouden then served out the match to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead in the tie.

The winner of the tie will advance to the Qualifiers Round 2 in September, while the losing team will compete in World Group I. PTI APS APS APA APA