India beat Switzerland 3-1, notch up first Davis Cup win in Europe since 1993 en route to spot in 2026 Qualifiers

India defeated Switzerland 3-1 to book a spot in the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers. Going into the second day's competition with a 2-0 lead, the Indians lost the doubles rubber but bounced back to win the first reverse singles on Saturday (September 13) at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel.

It is the first time since 1993 that an Indian Davis Cup team has triumphed in an away tie in Europe. Ramesh Krishnan and Leander Paes helped India down France 3-2 in Cannes 32 years ago.

The Indian team, comprising debutant Suresh Dhakshineswar, Sumit Nagal, Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli, was captained by Rohit Rajpal in Biel.

After Suresh Dhakshineswar had caused a stir by defeating Jerome Kym, Sumit Nagal defeated Marc Andrea-Huesler on Friday.

The Swiss rang in a couple of changes ahead of Saturday's Davis Cup games, replacing Jerome Kym with Henry Bernet for the reverse singles. Bernet, who was supposed to team up with Jakub Paul for the doubles, was in turn replaced by Dominic Stricker.

Jakub Paul and Dominic Stricker lost the opening set but fought their way back, much to the delight of the Swiss supporters in the stadium, winning 7-6(3), 4-6, 5-7.

Sumit Nagal was then faced with the task of overcoming 2025 Junior Australian Open champion Henry Bernet.

Nagal broke Bernet in the opening service game before the plucky 18-year-old displayed his class with a few thundering aces and a couple of winners.

Nagal's experience, however, proved too much for Bernet to handle, who went down 1-6, 3-6 despite being urged on by his home fans.

"We all pushed each other in the team" - Sumit Nagal after Davis Cup win against Switzerland

India is through to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers - Source: AITA on X

An elated Sumit Nagal acknowledged that the Davis Cup win in Europe was acheieved as a result of the team pushing each other. The 28-year-old was candid enough to admit that playing young Bernet was "tricky."

Nagal also backed the doubles team following their loss, asserting that the level was "high" and that he was sweating watching the match from the sidelines.

“It has been a while for us to win in Europe. We all pushed each other a lot in the team. We are happy with the win. The doubles was tough. The level was very high. I was sweating, watching the match from the sidelines," Nagal stated after the win. "When I had to play the young guy (Bernet), I knew he was good. Young ones are always tricky as you don’t know how they play. I was happy with the way I played the match.” he added.

India last reached the Davis Cup finals in 1987 after having finished runners-up in 1966 and 1974.

Edited by Sooryanarayanan Sesha