Who Is Sumit Nagal: The First Indian To Beat A Seeded Opponent At A Slam Since 1989
Who Is Sumit Nagal: The Indian Tennis sensation scripted history on Tuesday (January 16) by becoming the first from the country in 35 years to beat a seeded opponent across the four grand slams.
Who Is Sumit Nagal: If a non-cricketer Indian has drawn one's attention on the sports segment on a newspaper, television or digital platform and has forced you take notice on a winternoon in India, it's probably Sumit Nagal. The Indian tennis sensation became the first player from the country to knock out a seeded opponent at a Grand slam since 1989, a feat he achieved after registering a straight-sets victory over Alexander Bublik in Melbourne on Tuesday (January 16).
There is no doubt about the fact that Nagal outplayed his oppoenent on the day. Almost every tennis parameter seems to suggest so. Even though Nagal is India's number 1 singles tennis player, he was ranked 137 but on the day he was definitely the better one. It didn't matter to him that his opponent was Number 31 seed Bublik. The Indian ended up winning the match 6-4, 6-2 and 7-6 to script history.
While he is the first Indian since 1989 to go past a seeded opponent at a slam, the fact is that only once such a feat has happened before and it was achieved by Ramesh Krishnan. He had got the better of Mats Wilander in the second round of the 1989 Australian Open. Meanwhile, he is just the third Indian since 2000 to win a match at the Australian Open after Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman which puts his victory into perspective.
Also On ABP LIVE | Australian Open 2024: India’s Sumit Nagal Defeats Alexander Bublik To Reach Second Round, Creates History
Sumit Nagal Profile
Nagal was born on August 16, 1997 in Jhajjar, Haryana to Suresh Nagal and Krishna Devi Nagal. He has been an active tennis player for over a last decade and turned pro in 2015. The 5 feet 10 inches tall tennis ace has been a constant learner as his steady improvements in the field of tennis show with probably his biggest achievment prior to this historic Australian Open day on January 16, 2024 (Tuesday), coming in 2020. It was at the US Open that year, thay Nagal first announced himself at the world stage, becoming the first Indian to win a main draw match in the singles event of a Grand Slam in seven years.
Before that in the US Open 2019, Nagal had also managed to make headlines. Even though he lost in the opening round of the main draw, he had won a set against the legendary Roger Federer before eventually bowing out. In the subsequent season, he lost to the eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the second round and now it would be interesting to see how deep he can go in the Australian Open 2024 where he has secured a place in the second round.
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