New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) India is set to take on Switzerland in a Davis Cup World Group I tie, following the draw conducted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in London on Thursday. The crucial encounter will be hosted by Switzerland from September 12 to 14, with the hosts selecting the playing surface.
India secured their place in this tie with a dominant 4-0 victory over Togo in the World Group I Play-off held in New Delhi last month. Meanwhile, Switzerland suffered a 1-3 loss to Spain in the Qualifiers, setting up this decisive fixture. The winner of the India-Switzerland tie will advance to next year’s Davis Cup Qualifiers, while the losing team will be relegated to the World Group I Play-offs.
Historically, India holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Switzerland, though their last meeting was nearly three decades ago, in 1993. In that tie, Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Ramesh Krishnan guided the team to a 3-2 victory in Kolkata.
Switzerland’s squad boasts a strong lineup, led by three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, currently ranked World No. 165. Other top Swiss singles players include World No. 121 Alexander Ritschard, World No. 131 Jerome Kym, and World No. 172 Marc-Andrea Huesler. In doubles, World No. 101 Jakub Paul is Switzerland’s highest-ranked player.
India’s top-ranked singles player is World No. 132 Sumit Nagal, while Yuki Bhambri, ranked World No. 39 in doubles, is the country’s leading doubles player. However, India will be without veteran Rohan Bopanna, who retired from Davis Cup duties in 2023. Additionally, Bhambri and Nagal have missed the last two and three Davis Cup ties, respectively.
The Indian squad that faced Togo featured Mukund Sasikumar, Ramkumar Ramanathan, and Karan Singh in singles, while N. Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli formed the doubles team. Rohit Rajpal continues as India’s non-playing captain.
–IANS
hs/bsk/
