Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal stunned world number 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets to enter the Australian Open second round for the first time in his career here on Tuesday. Nagal’s victory was the first time in 35 years that an Indian defeated a highly ranked player in a major tennis tournament.
This victory allowed Nagal to advance to the second round of the Australian Open for the first time in his career on Tuesday, the 16th of January, 2024.
Sumit Nagal – Ranking and Score
Sumit Nagal, the tennis player with a ranking of 137 in the world, got into the main competition through qualifiers, won a tough match against the 31st seed, Alexander Bublik, with scores of 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7-5) at the Australian Open. This victory was the first time in 35 years that an Indian beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam, the last being in 1989 when Ramesh Krishnan defeated the world number one and defending champion Mats Wilander at the Australian Open.
This victory marks Nagal’s inaugural entry into the second round of the year’s initial Grand Slam.
Sumit Nagal and the match
Nagal had a strong start, breaking Bublik’s serve in the first game but couldn’t keep his own serve, making it 1-1. However, he bounced back, breaking his opponent’s serve twice to win the first set 6-4.
In the second set, Nagal played even better, breaking Bublik’s serve twice and winning 6-2.
In the third set, both players held their serves until Nagal broke at 4-3, leading 5-3. Although he had a chance to win at 5-4, he couldn’t hold, and the set went to a tie-breaker, which Nagal won 7-5. He reached the main draw by defeating Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-4 in the qualifying final.
