Sumit Nagal created history after defeating Italy's Luca Nardi in the Chennai Open final which catapulted him to top 100 of the ATP Rankings. Notably, Sumit Nagal secured his fifth title on the Challenger tour. Sumit thrashed Nardi with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-4.
First Indian since 2019 to achieve this feat
Nagal's achievement marks him as the first Indian man since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019 to break into the top 100 rankings. Overall he is the 10th Indian tennis player to make it to the top 100 ATP Rankings.
Sitting at the 121st spot in the ATP rankings, Nagal, who reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Grand Slam in January, ascended to the top 100 following his championship victory. When the rankings are updated on Monday, Nagal is set to be placed at 98th position.
Nagal's successful journey includes winning Challenger Tour titles in Tampere and Rome last year, as well as triumphs in Buenos Aires in 2019 and the Bengaluru Open in 2017.
How the match unfolded?
Despite grappling with a shoulder injury, Nagal showcased his agility on the court, securing a crucial break in the second game of the opening set. He successfully defended against two break points in the fifth game and secured his second break of the match in the sixth, ultimately claiming the first set in just 38 minutes.
In the second set, Nagal broke Nardi again in the third game, but the 20-year-old Italian tennis player leveled the set in the sixth game. Both players engaged in prolonged rallies over the next two games, with serves being difficult to hold. However, in the ninth game, Nagal intensified his efforts, executing a flawless break without conceding a point.
Serving for the match in the 10th game, Nagal found himself in a tight spot, trailing 40-15. Nonetheless, he rallied to save two game points and sealed the contest after one hour and 40 minutes of play.
With his impressive performance at the Chennai Open, the 26-year-old Nagal is poised to break into the top 100 of the ATP rankings for the first time next week.
In the semifinal, Sumit Nagal defeated Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic, who was ranked world No. 186, with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Nagal, starting at rank 138 in the Australian Open 2024, ascended 17 spots in the rankings after reaching the second round of the year’s first Grand Slam.
In an all-Indian doubles final held in Chennai on Saturday, Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan emerged victorious over Rithvik Bollipalli and Niki Poonacha with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 via a super-tiebreaker to secure the title.
Despite being broken in the eighth game of the first set, Myneni and Ramanathan rallied in the second set by breaking their opponents in their first service game. The match extended into a super-tiebreaker, which Myneni and Ramanathan comfortably won. The duo will also be teaming up for the Bengaluru Open 2024, commencing on Monday.
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