Teenager Manas Dhamne has earned his first Davis Cup call-up after being named in India’s five-member squad for the Qualifiers Round 2 tie against Korea in Seoul.
The 18-year-old joins Sumit Nagal, Dhakshineswar Suresh, Yuki Bhambri and N. Sriram Balaji in the squad announced on Monday. The tie will be played on hard courts at the Olympic Tennis Centre on September 18 and 19.
Dhamne, currently ranked World No. 362, gives captain Rohit Rajpal another singles option alongside Nagal and Dhakshineswar. Nagal is the highest-ranked Indian singles player in the squad at No. 235, while Dhakshineswar is ranked 393rd.
Sidharth Rawat, ranked 536th, and junior player Arnav Paparkar have been selected as reserves.
India also has experienced doubles options in Bhambri and Balaji, ranked 28th and 57th respectively. Rajpal, however, could again turn to Dhakshineswar for doubles after the youngster played a decisive role in India’s previous tie against the Netherlands.
India produced a memorable 3-2 victory over the Dutch in Bengaluru in February. Dhakshineswar was central to the upset, winning both his singles matches before partnering Bhambri to secure the crucial doubles rubber.
That victory carried India into the second round of the Davis Cup qualifiers for the first time since the current competition format was introduced in 2019.
Korea also reached this stage after pulling off a major upset of its own. The team defeated 2016 champion Argentina 3-2 in Busan, with Kwon Soonwoo playing a key role while still completing his military service.
The September contest is expected to be closely fought, with only three places separating the teams in the rankings. Korea sits 16th, while India is ranked 19th.
Korea holds a narrow 6-5 advantage in the overall head-to-head record between the countries. However, India won their most recent encounter, recording a 4-1 victory in Chandigarh in 2016. That Asia/Oceania Group I tie was played on grass.
A much bigger prize will be at stake when the teams renew their rivalry in Seoul. The winner of the two-day contest will secure a place in the Davis Cup Final 8, scheduled to be held in November.
