Sumit Nagal
India’s star player Sumit Nagal had to face defeat in straight sets at the hands of Russia’s Karen Khachanov in his debut match of the French Open 2024. Sumit Nagal could not stand in front of Khachanov’s experience. Nagal, ranked 95th in the world rankings, had no answer to Khachanov’s strong service and powerful shots. He certainly played brilliantly in the third set but despite this, he lost 2-6, 0-6, 6-7 (5-7) in the first round.
Match stopped due to rain
Sumit Nagal surprised everyone by defeating world number 31 Alexander Bublik in the Australian Open but he could not repeat his feat on the red gravel. Due to rain before the match, the court had become a bit slow which was ideal for long rallies. The Indian player started well but it was Khachanov who broke Nagal’s serve in the third game. After this, the game was halted for 21 minutes due to rain. When the match started, the Russian player played brilliantly and left no stone unturned to defeat Nagal. Khachanov hit shots from both ends and in such a situation it became difficult for the Indian player to score points.
In the seventh game of the first set, Sumit Nagal was leading 30-0 at one point but Khachanov scored four consecutive points to take the second break point. The Russian player then won the first set with a forehand winner in the next game. Nagal needed a good start in the second set but he lost his serve in the first game itself. Then Nagal could not defend his next two serves as well and Khachanov won this set easily.
Could not save service in the third game
Sumit Nagal made a comeback in the third set and saved his first serve but he could not do so in the third game. Meanwhile, Nagal missed two chances to break Khachanov’s serve in the second game. The Russian player scored points on his serve and took a 3-1 lead. The Indian player raised hopes by breaking Khachanov’s serve in the tenth game and equalizing the score to 5-5. This set went to the tiebreaker in which Nagal was at one time leading 5-3 but he gave Khachanov a chance to make a comeback by committing a double fault and the Russian player did not take much time to win this set and the match.
(Input: PTI)
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