Who is Sumit Nagal? Once scared Federer now unable to make ends meet
Leaving out the tennis aficionados, not many know who took over the mantle to represent India in the men’s tennis…
Sumit Nagal’s journey at the 2024 Australian Open came to an end on Thursday as he lost to China’s 18-year-old wild card Juncheng Shang in the men’s singles second round, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6, in two hours and fifty minutes.
After defeating Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in the first round of the Australian Open, Nagal became the first Indian to defeat a seeded player in a Grand Slam since Ramesh Krishnan defeated world No. 1 and reigning champion Mats Wilander in 1989.
Nagal had not lost a set in his four encounters at Melbourne Park going into the second round. He had advanced from the qualifiers to join a major draw for the fourth time in his career.
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The youthful left-hander started shooting with strength from both flanks and continued to gain confidence. After breaking to take a 3-1 lead, he stayed strong to finish the second set and square the match.
The third set was held at 6-5, but Shang took advantage of a break to take the lead in the match. By then, the tide had completely turned in his favour, and he broke to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth set before cruising to victory.
It was a dismal conclusion to what had been a historic campaign for Nagal. Even though the right-hander from Jhajjar, Haryana, appeared to be giving it his best, his opponent’s arsenal of weapons was simply too formidable. Shang continued to aim for his shots and hit 55 winners while making 52 unintentional mistakes.
The world No. 2 player, Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6(3), in the third round on Sunday, will now face the Chinese player.
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