Sumit Nagal's hopes at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells were dashed as he suffered a straight-set loss to Canada's Milos Raonic in the tournament's opening round on March 8.
Nagal, who gained entry into the main draw as a 'lucky loser' following Rafael Nadal's withdrawal, faced a swift defeat and went down 3-6 3-6 in a match lasting one hour and 28 minutes.
Raonic, entering with a protected ranking of 224, capitalised on three of his 12 breakpoints. On the other hand, Nagal failed to convert the two break points he had.
The 26-year-old Indian made waves in January when he reached the second round of the Australian Open. This achievement significantly contributed to his rise into the top 100 of the ATP rankings.
Nadal's withdrawal grants Nagal main Draw entry
Nagal initially lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament but secured a spot in the main draw after Nadal withdrew at the last minute. Nadal has been dealing with injury problems and underwent hip surgery last season.
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells,” Nadal said.
'Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open'
Tournament director Tommy Haas voiced his disappointment over Nadal's withdrawal.
"We are disappointed that Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open, but we wish him continued healing and hope he can be back in action again soon," Haas said.
Nagal entered the ATP top 100 last month after winning the Chennai Challenger event. However, he quickly fell out of the rankings due to poor results in subsequent tournaments.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by PTI)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
IND vs ENG: Ex-England batter reveals one 'mistake' that changed the series outcome towards India and it involves Rohit Sharma
'Yashasvi Jaiswal isn't abusing his...': Zaheer Khan makes resounding statement on rising Indian star batter
