India crashes 5-0 against Sweden, faces Davis Cup relegation

India put on a forgettable performance in the Davis Cup against Sweden. After suffering defeats in both singles contests on Saturday, India’s hope of staying in the event rested on their doubles clash. However, quashing any chance of redemption, the Indian doubles team of Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji went down 6-3, 6-4 against the Swedish duo André Göransson and Filip Bergevi. The team keenly felt the absence of Sumit Nagal, who had pulled out of the tie due to a back strain. Moreover, the Indian pair of Ramanathan and Balaji looked out of sync, having come off their singles losses a day prior.

India scripts a diappointing outing in Davis Cup against Sweden

The Davis Cup is scheduled in a three-day format, where competing teams engage in singles fixtures on the first day, a doubles fixture on the penultimate day, and reverse singles on the final day. With Sumit Nagal pulling out of the Davis Cup World Group I tie, India, led by Rohit Rajpal, fielded N Sriram Balaji and Ramkumar Ramanathan in the singles contests against Sweden on the opening day. The players then paired up for the all-important doubles clash on Sunday, before Siddharth Vishwakarma played his maiden tie in the event for the reverse singles.

The opening day brought utter disappointment for the team as they went down 2-0 to their opponents. N Sriram Balaji played the first match, facing Sweden’s top-ranked Elias Ymer, who defeated him 6-4, 6-2 in the opening rubber. Ramanathan couldn’t improve India’s standing, as he was handed a 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Leo Borg. Ironically, Leo, the son of the legendary Björn Borg, is currently ranked 603rd in the world, 250 spots below Ramanathan. Despite the ranking difference, Leo emerged as the better player, extending Sweden’s lead over India.

Ramkumar Ramanathan and N Sriram Balaji crash in the doubles, as India's team selection questioned

With Sweden going up 2-0, India’s hopes of claiming the tie were shattered on the first day itself. All chances for redemption relied on the doubles match scheduled for Sunday. India paired Ramanathan and Sriram Balaji against André Göransson and Filip Bergevi. Although India had some high points in the match, Sweden’s prowess eventually overshadowed the patchy performance of the Indian players.

The Indian duo got their first opportunity in the third game of the opening set on Goransson’s serve. Balaji and Ramanathan scored four consecutive points to secure a break point, but the Swedish duo quickly turned the game back in their favor. The match continued slipping from India’s grasp as Ramkumar’s serve was broken in the following game, and Bergevi held his serve, racing to an imposing 5-2 lead. Balaji, serving to keep them in the set, managed to hold, but the home team comfortably closed out the first set with Bergevi holding serve to love.

In the next games, Balaji delivered some good serves, even scoring an ace, but Göransson returned the next shot, bringing the game to deuce. Ultimately, Sweden found answers to all the serves, as India struggled to capitalize on their opportunities. From there, it was a steady lead for Sweden until the Bergevi-Göransson pair closed out the match in the 10th game, winning 6-3, 6-4.

Sunday’s defeat knocked India out of the tie. However, the fourth rubber, which was rendered dead by then, was still held per Davis Cup regulations. Siddharth Vishwakarma played his maiden Davis Cup tie, facing Sweden’s top pick Elias Ymer in the reverse singles. The match was a smooth ride for Ymer, who finished it in 50 minutes, as Vishwakarma suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat. The fifth and final clash was, however, called off as Sweden registered their clear win over.

This latest setback in the Davis Cup resulted in Sweden extending their lead to 6-0 over India. So far, India has managed to secure only two rubber victories overall, the first by Vijay Amritraj and the second by the doubles team of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who triumphed over Jonas Björkman and Simon Aspelin in 2005. Now, while Sweden advances to the qualifiers, India will play in the World Group I playoffs next year.