Tennis
Indian Wells Masters: Sumit Nagal fails to make it to the main draw
Top-ranked Indian men's singles player Sumit Nagal lost in the final qualifying round of Indian Wells Masters.
Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal in action at the Australian Open.
Indian top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal lost to South Korea's Seong-Chan Hong in the final qualifying round of the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday.
Nagal lost the 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7) against Hong despite being one set up early in the match. The loss means Nagal will have to wait for his debut at the Indian Wells Masters.
Nagal started well with a 6-2 win in the first set but lost the match in a tough tie-breaker against the South Korean.
Earlier, Nagal brushed past the challenge of American wildcard Stefan Dostanic in straight sets in his first outing at the Indian Wells Masters on Monday.
India's No. 1 singles player beat Dostanic in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the qualifying.
Despite the loss, Nagal has assured himself of 10 ranking points and USD 14,400 prize money by reaching the final qualifying round.
In 2024, Nagal has been on a brilliant run as he made history by becoming the first Indian men's singles player in a decade to advance to the second round of the Australian Open.
He also won the Chennai Challengers title, entering the top 100 rankings following the triumph. However, he suffered reverses in Pune and Dubai.
