Chennai Open 2023: Best match I have played says Sumit Nagal after straight sets win

The Indian reached the semi-final after beating Great Britain's Jay Clarke.

Sumit Nagal advanced to the semifinals of the ATP Challenger Chennai Open 2023 after beating Jay Clarke from Great Britain in straight sets (6-1,6-4) in the singles. This is Sumit’s first semifinal appearance in the ATP Challenger circuit in the past 16 months. The 25-year-old Indian started the quarterfinal match on a positive note leading (4-0) and did not have any hiccups.

The match was evenly poised at 4-4 at one stage. But from here on there was no looking back for Nagal, who won two straight games to clinch the match. His forehand crosscourt hit is a treat to watch and has been his weapon in the tournament.

Sumit Nagal will next play Moreno de Alberon, who beat Uchiyama in the other quarterfinal, in the final four stage. Jay Clarke will pair with Indian Arjun Khade in the men’s doubles semi-final later in the day. Having reached the semis, Sumit Nagal shared his thoughts on the performance.

Thoughts on the match

It was a relatively easy match for the Indian as the opposition did not put him under much pressure. This was arguably one of the easiest matches for Nagal in the tournament.

He said, “Probably one of the best matches I have played in this tournament. I played well and maintained intensity throughout the match.”

Areas to work on

“Today I was more calm and relaxed and the way he played today suited my game as well compared to yesterday's match. I still have lots of work and it never stops,” he added.

How does it feel getting into the semis after 15 months?

This will be Sumit Nagal’s first semi-final appearance in the last 15 months. He entered the quarter-final at the Meerbusch Challenger last year but couldn't proceed further losing to top seed Zapata Miralles. 

The Indian iterated, “It is tough to put pressure on yourself. I cannot enter a tournament thinking, I need to get to the finals. I came here after playing good tennis and want to work match-by-match. Also, I don't go to bed saying I need to win seven matches or four matches here. 16 months has been a long time and I haven't played much as well. Last year I was playing good tennis but the result didn't go the way I wanted.”

Presence of Somdev Devvarman as coach

Somdev Devvarman has been guiding Sumit Nagal throughout the tournament and has remained calm off the court. Somdev has helped Nagal in many aspects which is clearly visible in Nagal’s performance.

Nagal opined, “Both me and Somdev are very different. I am very aggressive and he is very calm and I need to be calm on the court whenever the situation demands. So I am learning this from him and also how to look at the game. Spending time with him is pretty good.”

On building confidence 

Sumit did not have much confidence earlier in the tournament but after winning a few matches slowly caught up with the pace. He has been hitting the ball well and looks set to getting back to his best.

“Every match helps and tennis is all about confidence. If you are confident tennis is easy but if arent then you think twice before hitting the ball which becomes difficult.”

Adapting to playing in the 3rd set

“I did not play for a long time and when you play the third set the nerve matters. Only a few come past the injury and play without nerves. It is how tennis works and any sport for that matter.”