New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) India will face South Korea on hard courts at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Seoul on September 18-19 in the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers, setting up a closely contested tie with a place in the Final 8 at stake.
The two teams are separated by only three positions in the Davis Cup rankings, South Korea being currently at 16th and India at 19th. The Koreans also have a slight edge in their head-to-head record with 6 wins to India's 5.
India will pick its squad for the important match on August 10.
The type of surface could introduce an interesting element into the contest since South Korean players are usually more at home on hard courts, whereas India chose grass when the two teams previously played each other in Chandigarh in 2016. India had won that Asia/Oceania Group I match 4-1, but the forthcoming match will be taking place under very different conditions.
India secured its spot in the second round following a dramatic 3-2 win against the Netherlands in Bengaluru in February, with Dhakshineswar Suresh standing out in the match by winning both of his singles games and also partnering Yuki Bhambri to win the doubles.
In the decisive fifth match Suresh came under pressure and won against Guy den Ouden 6-4, 7-6(4), thus securing India's victory.
This was especially significant since it was the first time that India had reached the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers under the present format, which was introduced in 2019.
At the same time, South Korea achieved a significant surprise in the first round by winning 3-2 against Argentina, the champions of 2016, in Busan. Kwon Soonwoo played a key role in the Korean win even though he was still carrying out his military service, assisting his team in mounting a comeback against the favoured South Americans.
The match in Seoul will now come down to a winner-takes-all showdown for a spot in the Davis Cup Final 8, with the winning team progressing to the Final 8, which takes place in November.
South Korea have already displayed their capability to compete at that level since they qualified for the 16-team Davis Cup Finals in both 2022 and 2023, while India will be aiming to build on the success of its recent run under the existing qualifying system and earn a spot among the world's top eight teams.
--IANS
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