India's Dhakshineswar Suresh during a practice session ahead of the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers first round tie against Netherlands, at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (PTI Photo)
Dhakshineswar Suresh, the strapping 6 feet-5 from Madurai, summoned his booming serve and nudged India closer to the Davis Cup World Group, winning all three of his breathless and breathtaking matches against The Netherlands, culminating in a victorious home tie on Sunday.
Bengaluru, which grooved with throbbing energy to Eye of the Tiger turning the SM Krishna Stadium into a rock concert arena, couldn’t stop headbanging to the thunderbolts DK summoned at will over two days, winning the deciding fifth rubber against Guy Den Ouden 6-4, 7-6 just a few hours after he had joined Yuki Bhambri to clinch the doubles and put India 2-1 ahead.
Sumit Nagal, still cagey with an injury after three weeks of rehab, then went down in three sets. But nothing prepared the crowd or the desperate Dutch for the tall 26-year-old Indian to turn up and slam- dunk those serves over and over again – with 15 aces fetching up just when needed.
On Saturday, DK had defeated World No 88 Jesper De Jong, and emboldened captain Rohit Rajpal enlisted him into the doubles match, replacing Sriram Balaji. Bhambri was shouldering the bulk of the responsibility in clutch moments, but it helped that DK was around to unleash one more unreturnable whenever Yuki faltered. The Indians had held their nerve to beat David Pel and Sander Arends 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (1), India’s first doubles win in their last five face-offs against Europeans in playoffs, but Nagal playing the first reverse singles couldn’t seal the deal at the first time of asking.
DK then turned the crowd riotous as he got off rollicking – resuming an endless acethon where the Dutchman was thwarted by both the bulk and kick of the flying serve. There was also a Samprasian smash, though all such comparisons will sound hyperbolic, given the Indian is No.465 in rankings.
“Emotions have been high since the beginning. The crowd gave me a good boost of confidence, to step on court again. And again. It’s surreal, unreal playing three matches for India and getting it all done; but the crowd helped in fighting. I wanna thank my parents, coaches and all of India,” DK told DD Sports after the 3-2 win, even as the raucous crowd stayed on well past 10 pm with Rohan Bopanna in attendance and cheering on the team.
Where did he come from
Dhakshineswar’s been under the radar slightly, because he’s 26 already and not featured at the Slams much. But he’s been threatening to burst onto the scene. He created quite a stir at Winston-Salem ATP 250 last August making the main draw with a thundering comeback win over former Top 20 Alejandro Tabilo as a wild card. He had followed up on previous wins over Top 150 players – Billy Harris (No.146) and Estonian Mark Lajal (147) at Lexington in late July last year.
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On Sunday in Bengaluru, chants of ‘DK DK DK’ reverberated as his bazooka serve flew. Not only did his serve have a killer kick, he also displayed great movement rushing to the net for aggressive volleys and some crunching forehands hit from wide. So explosive is his rushing to the net where he volleys like a whip that the Dutchman shuddered and eventually failed to pass him.
The Indian got the breaks late in both sets, and though his opponent resisted with some fine returns, DK was not to be denied.
“I think my big serve and big forehand troubled De Jong the most,” DK had told DavisCup.com after his Saturday win. “In conditions like Bengaluru, at high altitude, the ball travels faster. So, it’s tough to control the ball when I’m hitting the ball hard. I was feeling good that I was able to put him in uncomfortable situations throughout the match,” he had said.
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
