Tennis
Indian Wells Masters: Sumit Nagal wins the first qualifying round
India's number one singles tennis player Sumit Nagal is one step away from the main draw of Indian Wells Masters.
Sumit Nagal during his singles main draw match at Bengaluru Open 2023.
Top-ranked Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal brushed past the challenge of the American wildcard Stefan Dostanic in his first qualifying match at the Indian Wells Masters on Monday.
The India number one defeated Dostanic in straight sets 6-2 6-2 in the first round of the qualifying on Monday. Seeded eighth, Nagal took 68 minutes to emerge as the winner on his Indian Wells debut without facing a single break point in the entire match.
By making the final qualifying round, Nagal assured himself of 10 ranking points and USD 14,400 prize money.
Sumit Nagal has been on a good run since the start of 2024 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.
Nagal will take on Seong-chan Hong in the second qualifying round on Tuesday.
In a Korean derby, Hong got the better of Seong-chan Hong 6-3 6-3 to set up a clash with Nagal for a place in the main draw. Hong has been on a good run and reached the Bengaluru Open final last month.
