Davis Cup Group I: India vs Finland, watch live streaming

The Indian tennis team will take on Finland in a Davis Cup Group I tie starting at the Espoo Metro Areena on Friday.

A win in the two-day long series will see India make the qualifiers for the next Davis Cup edition in 2022 while a loss will see them drop into the play-offs zone of Group I.

With Sumit Nagal, India’s highest-ranked men’s singles tennis player, missing from the tie, the Indian team will be banking on its combined experience to topple team Finland. 

Prajnesh Gunneswaran (ranked 165) and Ramkumar Ramanathan (ranked 187) will shoulder the responsibility in the singles matches while the experienced duo of Rohan Bopanna (ranked 44th) and Divij Sharan (ranked 86) will play the doubles.

Prajnesh Gunneswarn will face 20-year-old Otto Virtanen in the opening singles match on Friday. Ranked 419th in the world, Virtanen primarily features in the ITF and the Challenger circuits.

India’s biggest challenge, however, will be Emil Ruusuvuori, who has made a name for himself with some huge wins on the ATP circuit.

Ranked 74th in the world, Emil Ruusuvuori defeated Dominic Theim of Austria, the current world No. 8 in ATP men’s singles rankings, at the 2019 Davis Cup. The Finnish tennis star also beat the reigning world No. 4, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, in the second round of the 2021 Miami Open, an ATP 1000 event, recently.

The 22-year-old Emil Ruusuvuori, who downed Prajnesh Gunneswaran in three sets at the Citi Open just ahead of the US Open 2021, will face Ramkumar Ramanathan in the second singles clash.

In the doubles, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan will face Harri Heliovaara, world No. 76 in men’s doubles, and Henri Kontinen, ranked No. 46.

Kontinen, however, is a former world No. 1 with an Australian Open doubles and a Wimbledon mixed doubles win under his belt.

The 31-year-old Kontinen played three of the four Grand Slams in 2021 with French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin but paired with Heliovaara for the US Open to build up the team chemistry for the Davis Cup tie against India.

Davis Cup 2021 Group I: Finland vs India tennis draw

All timings are India Standard Time (IST)

Friday, September 17

Otto Virtanen vs Prajnesh Gunneswaran - 8:30 PM IST onwards

Emil Ruusuvuori vs Ramkumar Ramanathan - Later

Saturday, September 18

Harri Heliovaara/ Henri Kontinen vs Rohan Bopanna/ Divij Sharan - 4:30 PM IST onwards

Emil Ruusuvuori vs Prajnesh Gunneswaran - Later

Otto Virtanen vs Ramkumar Ramanathan - Later

Where to watch Davis Cup 2021 live in India?

Live streaming of the Finland vs India Davis Cup Group I tie will be on the Tennis Channel International platform (via Samsung TV Plus). Users can also subscribe to ITF TV.

There will be no live telecast of the Finland vs India Davis Cup match.