On Monday, Sumit Nagal made history as the first player from India to win a match in a clay-court Masters 1000 competition. With a fantastic comeback victory, Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi was upset by the top-ranked Indian singles player. Nagal prevailed 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round match at the Monte Carlo Masters.
A Historic Moment
Only Vijay Amritraj in 1977 and Ramesh Krishnan in 1982 were Indians to appear in the main draw of the Monte Carlo Open, with Nagal, the 95th-ranked and unseeded player, being the third. In 1990, he became the first player to win an ATP Masters 1000 match on clay. The 26-year-old surprised the 38th-ranked player in the world and will now play Denmark’s Hoger Rune on Tuesday, April 9, in the following round.
There’s just Sumit about Nagal on clay 🧱
History for @nagalsumit as he becomes the first-ever male Indian singles player to win a Masters 1000 match on clay!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/zJGfMunJlN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 8, 2024
Sumit Nagal Ranks 80
With his victory on Monday in the clay court event, Sumit Nagal has guaranteed himself a career-high ranking of 80. For the second time this season, Nagal triumphed over a player ranked in the top 50. In January 2024, the 26-year-old defeated Alexander Bublik, who was ranked 27 at the time, in straight sets at the Australian Open in Melbourne. In the March 2021 Argentina Open, he also triumphed over Cristian Garin, a Chilean who was ranked 22 at the time.
Both players broke each other once in the first set, which was played on an even playing field. In the twelfth game, Sumit Nagal, who was serving to stay in the set, dropped his serve after Arnaldi attacked the Indian’s opening serve. Still unfazed, Sumit Nagal broke his opponent twice in the second set to take a commanding 4-1 lead. In game six, there was pressure on his serve. However, he held and closed the set, bringing it to a decision.
In the seventh game of the third set, Sumit Nagpal broke his opponent’s service for the second time. He took a 4-3 lead after exchanging breaks with Arnaldi. This proved to be crucial in determining the match’s fate. In game 10, he served to end the match, consolidating his lead after pocketing the eighth game.
Nagal had defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, ranked 63rd in the world, 6-2, 6-3, in the opening qualifying round.
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