Sumit Nagal bows out of Winston-Salem Open in first round

Sumit Nagal bowed down to the former world number 12 Borna Coric of Croatia in the first round of the ATP 250 Winston-Salem Open at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex, North Carolina, USA on Sunday.

Coric defeated Nagal in straight sets (6-4,6-2) in 68 minutes.

The Croatian player, the semifinalist of the 2023 edition of the tournament, used his experience to beat the higher-ranked Indian player. 

Nagal is currently ranked 74th in the ATP rankings, while Coric is ranked 83rd.

Nagal began the first game with an ace to his name, but Coric slowly broke Nagal's lead with his fierce serving and won the first set 6-4.

In the second set, Coric maintained his composure and won it 6-2.

Speaking to TennisTV after the match, Coric said, “I just stayed calm and I was feeling very good on the court today. I knew I just needed to be patient and my time would come. The fast and bouncy conditions here helped me. It’s much quicker during the day as well. I was serving well and picking spots well. Very happy with my performance today.”

Coric will play top-seeded Sebastian Baez in the next round. Interestingly, Sebastian is the reigning champion and Coris lost his semi-final in 2023 to the Argentine player 3-6,7-6,6-7.