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Sumit Nagal’s run in Australia Open ends in second round, Bopanna-Ebden pair advances | Tennis News – Times of India

Chinese tennis sensation Juncheng Shang quashed Sumit Nagal's challenge at the Australian Open, putting an end to the Indian's remarkable run at the first major of the season on Thursday.Despite Nagal's strong start, highlighted by an impressive victory over a top-30 player, the 18-year-old wildcard entrant gradually gained momentum, securing a victory with a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 scoreline in the second-round clash that lasted two hours and 50 minutes.Nagal, who seemed to run out of steam in the fourth set, exited the Melbourne Park with valuable memories, having earned his place in the main draw through the qualifiers and scoring a notable win over world number 27 Alexander Bublik.Shang's serving prowess improved from the third set onward, enabling him to comfortably hold his service gam...
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‘I haven’t thought too much about the next round’: Sumit Nagal wants the win against Alexander Bublik to sink in | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Indian tennis sensation Sumit Nagal grabbed the headlines on Tuesday, after defeating the 31st seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets in the first round of the Australian Open.The victory marks one of the most significant wins of Nagal's career, propelling him into the second round of the Grand Slam tournament, where he will take on 18-year-old Chinese prodigy Shang Juncheng on Thursday.Ranked 137th in the world, Nagal secured a commanding three-set victory with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5) amid the scorching heat of Melbourne in a wide-open court. With the match lasting two hours and 38 minutes, Nagal became the first Indian in 35 years to defeat a seeded player in a Grand Slam main draw.Addressing the media on the back of a phenomenal opening day, Nagal expressed how he ...
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Sumit Nagal guaranteed big payday after stunning win in Australian Open

Tough yet fruitful journey so far!"Last year was probably one of the best years ... (from having only) 900 euros, not getting into events for the first few months and relying on wild cards ... to finishing inside the top 130. From where I started, I was pretty proud of myself to be able to give myself another chance to be here, to qualify and play a second round. It's a good feeling," Nagal said. Source link
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Sumit Nagal ends 34-year wait: From Rs 80,000 in the bank at start of last year to becoming the first Indian after Ramesh Krishnan to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam

Late last year, India’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal lamented being in the position that many on the brutal, unequal professional tennis tour were backed into after a few tough years. Making ends meet, training at the highest level, playing more matches, travelling with coaches, had all been a financial impossibility.“If I look at my bank balance, I have what I had at the beginning of the year. It is 900 euros (around Rs 80,000),” he told PTI in September. “The funding needed to break into the top 100 is around one crore.” On Tuesday, after becoming the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989 to beat a seeded player in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam, Nagal will get closer to that amount. Even if he loses his next match, after beating 27th seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-...
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Australian Open: Sumit Nagal defeats Alex Molcan to qualify for main draw of season-opening Grand Slam

India’s Sumit Nagal defeated former World No 38 Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-4 in the third and final qualifying round match on Friday to qualify for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. The 25-year-old Slovakian had famously defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in a Davis Cup match in World Group I in Greece in September last year. Nagal is currently ranked 139th in the world ranking in singles. This is the first time he will play in the main round of a Grand Slam event since 2021 (and the fourth overall time). He had made it to the main round of the US Open in 2019 and 2020, and then featured in the Australian Open main draw in 2021. Nagal broke Molcan in his opening service game and led 3-0 n the first set before the 26-year-old from Slovakia broke back and levelled at 3-3. Nagal th...
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Sumit Nagal, Sasi Mukund refuse to travel to Pakistan for Davis Cup | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India's top two singles players Sumit Nagal and Sasi Kumar Mukund have conveyed to the national tennis federation that they won't travel to Pakistan for the next Davis Cup tie and the baffled AITA has decided to discuss the players' refusal at its next Executive Committee meeting.Nagal is India's best-ranked singles player at number 141 in the ATP chart and Mukund is second-best at number 477.The two players have conveyed their unavailability for the World Group I play-off tie to be played in February but have not specified the reason behind their decision.The PTI has learnt that Nagal did not want to play because the tie will be held on grass courts, a surface that does not suit his game style. Mukund has opted out of the matches because of "personal reasons"."Nagal had conv...
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Asian Games: Rutuja Bhosale and Rohan Bopanna win mixed doubles gold in tennis | Asian Games 2023 News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India's tennis prowess shone brightly as Rutuja Bhosale and seasoned veteran Rohan Bopanna orchestrated a remarkable comeback to secure the gold medal in mixed doubles at the Asian Games on Saturday.In a riveting encounter, the second-seeded Indian pair fought back from a set down to triumph with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 10-4 against the formidable Chinese Taipei duo of Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang.Asian Games Day 7The victory not only sealed a gold medal for India but also provided a glimmer of hope in what had otherwise been a somewhat disappointing tennis campaign for the country at the Asian Games. India had managed to secure only two medals throughout the tournament, with the men's doubles team earning silver being the other achievement.This two-medal performance at...
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Hangzhou Asian Games: Ramkumar-Saketh pair ensures medal in men’s doubles tennis | Asian Games 2023 News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni have secured a medal opportunity for India in tennis at the Asian Games by advancing to the men's doubles semifinals. However, Sumit Nagal and Ankita Raina faced disappointment as they lost their respective singles quarterfinals.The second-seeded Indian duo managed to fend off a late challenge from China's Zhizhen Zhang and Yibing Wu, ultimately winning 6-1, 7-6(8) in the quarterfinals.Their journey to the semifinals guarantees India at least a bronze medal. For Myneni, this will mark his third Asian Games medal, having previously won the men's doubles silver and mixed doubles gold in 2014.This will be the first-ever Asian Games medal for Ramanathan, who had a challenging 2023 season, enduring 17 first-round singles losses.Despite being c...
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Davis Cup: Heat, unpredictable weather could negate home advantage for India

Lucknow: As temperatures hit nearly 35-degrees Celsius on Friday, India and Morocco’s final training day gave them a taste of what was to come for their Davis Cup tie this weekend in Lucknow. The hot and humid conditions of Lucknow have been so brutal on the players that it has prompted organisers to delay the start of the matches by two hours in order to ease the physical strain on the players. The rubbers will begin at 2pm and 1pm on Saturday and Sunday respectively, hoping to play into the evening, even under the floodlights if needed, as temperatures settle. While hot home conditions have always played into the hands of India in past Davis Cup ties, perhaps going back decades, with most of the present-day players training and competing abroad, it is likely to be just as taxing on th...
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Rohan Bopanna, Ankita Raina to spearhead Indian challenge in tennis at Asian Games | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Tuesday announced the 12-member squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, which will commence on September 23.Doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna will once again carry the hopes of India, alongside other talented players.The men's team includes Sumit Nagal, Sasikumar Mukund, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Yuki Bhambri, Saketh Myneni, and the experienced 43-year-old Bopanna, who will lead the charge.Ankita Raina, the previous Asian Games bronze medallist in singles, will lead the women's contingent. The team also comprises Karman Kaur Thandi, Rututaj Bhosle, Sahaja Yamlapalli, Vaidehi Chaudhari, and Prarthane Thombare, as stated by AITA in a media statement.In the 2018 Asian Games held in Jakarta, India secured a gold and two bronze medals. ...
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Rohan Bopanna back in top 10 rankings after seven years | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Indian tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna has made a remarkable comeback to the top 10 of the ATP doubles rankings after a gap of seven years, gaining two places in the latest rankings.At the age of 43, Bopanna is now ranked world No. 9 in doubles, marking his return to the top bracket for the first time since June 2016. Earlier this year, he started the season ranked 19th.Bopanna, who had to withdraw from the Davis Cup and several other events due to a knee injury last year, has shown exceptional resilience to climb back up the rankings. His career-best ranking was world No. 3, achieved in 2016.In the current season, Bopanna has participated in 13 tournaments so far, putting in consistent performances. Notably, he created history by becoming the oldest player to win an ATP Masters...
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Indian tennis can only move up from here: Ramesh Krishnan | Tennis News – Times of India

KOLKATA: Former Indian tennis star Ramesh Krishnan feels that the pandemic has hit the country's progress in the sport and it can only go up from here.Sumit Nagal is India's highest ranked player at 366 currently.Earlier this year, India lost to Denmark 2-3 to be relegated to Davis Cup World Group II for the first time since the new format was launched in 2019."A lot of competitions have moved to Europe, but that is something we have to live up with. The pandemic also has hit India quite badly," the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist said during the launch of Jaidip Mukerjea's autobiography 'Crosscourt'."I hope it starts moving up now. We can only go up from here. The quality of tournaments has come down in India."Former India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman feels the key is to bring quality tour...
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Tata Open Pune ATP 250: Nagal, Manas Dhamne have their moments, but bow out on opening day

With Filip Krajinovic stuck at an irretrievable distance along the backline, Sumit Nagal knew a drop shot would give him a toehold in the decider. The execution wasn’t particularly sharp, but there was nothing wrong with the shot selection. The Indian would fluff his lines at the crucial juncture – dumping his shot in the net with an open court staring at him – as he went down 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to the Serb. Usually in such situations, Nagal’s racquet strings would quiver – the frame quake at the likelihood of his fury getting transferred like a non-earthed shockwave. But on Monday at the Balewadi courts, during the opener of the Tata Open Pune ATP 250, Nagal managed to stay composed. The Jhajjar man had played some crunching forehands, served reasonably solidly (first serve was up to 73 pc)...
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Tata Open Maharashtra: Sumit Nagal bows out after spirited fight | Tennis News – Times of India

PUNE: Manas Dhamne, all of 15, made an impression with his fearless approach before being overpowered by Michael Mmoh, while a tenacious Sumit Nagal, true to his style, fought hard before bowing out of the men's singles event at the Tata Open Maharashtra here on Monday.Given a wild card entry into the country's premier tennis tournament, Dhamne got a taste of high-level tennis on the opening day of the ATP 250 event, before exiting the tournament with a 2-6, 4-6 defeat against the world number 115.In another match involving a home player, Filip Krajinovic outgunned wild card entrant Nagal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in an intense opening-round match that lasted two hours and 24 minutes.Up against a physically stronger and technically superior opponent, Dhamne gave a glimpse of what he could bring to ...
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Want to reach where I can change tennis in India: Sumit Nagal | Tennis News – Times of India

PUNE: A career-threatening hip injury and the long road to return to action has not dimmed the fire in the belly for Sumit Nagal.Nagal, who has slipped in the rankings to 501 now, still retains the desire to be the best singles player the country has produced in recent times and is ready to go through the grind all over again."The goal stays the same, you know, I want to do something that our last best player did. I want to be at a point where I can change tennis in our country, you know, where we don't play tennis just for fun, but to say 'listen, we can also achieve something, we can also do something," Nagal said after a practice session ahead of the Tata Open Maharashtra men’s tennis event here on Thursday.Nagal, likely to get a wildcard for the ATP 250 event, was referring to his m...
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AITA names five-member Indian team for Davis Cup World Group 1 play-off away tie against Denmark | Tennis News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Saturday announced a five-member team for the Davis Cup World Group 1 play-off away tie against Denmark to be played at Royal Stage Stadium in Hillerod on February 3 and 4.Sasikumar Mukund, Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri were picked for the tie while Sumit Nagal was named as the reserve.Rohit Rajpal will be the non-playing captain.The AITA said the players were selected on the basis of their availability and performance.The team was named after a virtual selection committee meeting under the chairmanship of Nandan Bal.India had defeated Denmark 4-0 in the Davis Cup 2022 World Group I play-off tie at the Delhi Gymkhana Club here in March.Later, the Indian team lost to Norway 1-3 in the away t...