India had a disappointing start to the US Open as Sumit Nagal faced an early exit from the tournament after losing his first-round match against Dutch Tallon Griekspoor on August 26. He lost 1-6, 3-6, 6-7 (6) to Griekspoor.
Nagal looked ordinary in the first two sets but made a valiant comeback by taking the third set to a tie-breaker before ending up on the losing side.
The Dutch dominated the proceedings and made first set seem like a cakewalk for the Tallon who left no stone unturned winning the first set 6-1.
Nagal put up a fight in the second set but it was not enough to hold off the World no. 40. He lost the the second set 3-6.
Facing the possibility of an early exit from the tournament, Nagal stepped up his performance significantly in the third set. He had two opportunities to win the set during the tie-breaker, which would have kept his hopes alive. However, the Dutch player responded with a perfect ace to close the gap and then sealed the game.
Three more Indians in US Open
India's hopes are still alive in the competition with Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji, competing men's doubles category alongside their respective partners. Bopanna will team up with Matthew Ebden and is seeded second in the category. On the other hand, Bhambri will play with France's Albano Olivetti and Balaji will partner with Argentina's Guido Andreozzi.
Nagal's third appearance
This was Nagal's third appearance in the US Open main draw, following his previous outings in 2019 and 2020. The 27-year-old has had a challenging year. He was unable to advance past the second round at the Australian Open and experienced first-round exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships.
Nagal also faced disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where he was knocked out in the first round after losing to Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Nagal lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the round of 64.
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