India’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup Final 8 for the first time under the competition’s new format came to an end on Saturday as Sumit Nagal suffered a straight-sets defeat to South Korea’s Soonwoo Kwon in Seoul.

Nagal, India’s top-ranked singles player, was unable to complete the comeback after Dhakshineswar Suresh and N Sriram Balaji had kept the team alive with a hard-fought doubles victory earlier in the day. Kwon defeated Nagal 6-1, 6-2 to seal a 3-1 victory for South Korea and send the hosts through to the Final 8.

Kwon dominates decisive singles rubber

The match proved one-sided as Kwon quickly established control. Nagal struggled to find his rhythm against the South Korean, who maintained the pressure throughout the contest and wrapped up the opening set 6-1.

The Indian tried to respond in the second set, but Kwon continued to dictate the tempo and closed out the match 6-2.

The defeat ended what had been a promising Davis Cup campaign for India, who had reached the second round of the qualifiers after defeating the Netherlands earlier this year.

India’s comeback falls short

India had entered the second day trailing 0-2 after both singles matches went South Korea’s way on Friday.

Dhakshineswar Suresh had taken the opening set against Kwon but eventually lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Nagal then suffered a 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat against former Australian Open semi-finalist Hyeon Chung in a gruelling three-hour contest.

With their backs against the wall, India made a crucial change to their doubles combination on Saturday. Suresh partnered experienced campaigner N Sriram Balaji, and the pair delivered a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Nam Ji-sung and Park Uisung to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

That left Nagal needing to defeat Kwon to force a deciding fifth rubber. However, the Indian was unable to produce the performance required as Kwon secured the win in straight sets.

Historic opportunity slips away

India had been bidding to reach the Davis Cup Final 8 for the first time under the revamped competition format. A victory in Seoul would have taken them into the finals in Bologna, Italy, scheduled for November.

Instead, South Korea became the first Asian team to secure a place in the knockout stage under the new format. India’s campaign ended with a 1-3 defeat, and the team will return to Qualifier Round 1 in 2027.

India’s run had included a victory over the Netherlands in the opening qualifying round, raising hopes of another breakthrough on the international stage. But despite the late fightback in Seoul, Nagal’s defeat in the decisive singles rubber brought the campaign to a close.