Indian Wells Open 2024: Milos Raonic vs Sumit Nagal preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming

Published at :March 7, 2024 at 9:42 PM

Modified at :March 8, 2024 at 4:31 PM

(Courtesy : India Today/Tennis Majors)

Sumit Nagal entered the main draw of Indian Wells Open 2024 as a replacement for Rafael Nadal.

Having entered the main draw of Indian Wells Open 2024 as a lucky loser, Sumit Nagal will be up against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic in the opening round in men’s singles. With no wildcard on offer, Nagal had to battle through two rounds of qualifying if he wished to make it to the main draw.

He got through the first round of qualifying with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against American Stefan Dostanic. Despite a gritty performance in the next round of qualifiers, the Indian went down fighting to South Korean Seongchan Hong in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-7(4).

But as luck would have it, Nagal got into the main draw as a lucky loser. Earlier in the day, three-time Indian Wells winner Rafael Nadal announced his decision to withdraw as he wasn’t feeling a 100 per cent. The latest withdrawal is yet another hiccup in the former World No. 1 quest to return to competitive tennis.

Nagal, 26, made it to the second round of the 2024 Australian Open and followed it up by winning the ATP Challengers event in Chennai – gaining valuable ATP points at both. Following his Chennai win, he broke into the top 100, though briefly.

Nagal’s opponent in the first round is the Canadian Milos Raonic. He is the first Canadian to find his way to the top 10 in the ATP rankings. He rose to a career-high World No. 3 in 2016 after reaching the Nitto ATP Finals semifinals, where he lost to Andy Murray, forcing the Scot to dig deep with the last two sets being decided in tiebreaks.

Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic Preview

Nagal and Raonic are in the bottom half of the draw, packed with four top-15 players. Raonic is guaranteed to be a tricky customer and was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2016. The Canadian’s career has been plagued by an unfortunate series of injuries, including his Achilles heel and toes. He has been in a title drought since winning the Brisbane International in 2016.

Sumit Nagal’s 2024 season is his best on tour by far. He appeared in the main draw of the Australian Open, where he bested Alexander Bublik, a player 110 places ahead of him and rose to World No. 97 but has since fallen four spots to 101. A win against Raonic will give him the confidence to go further and reclaim his place among the top 100 players in the ATP.

With Holger Rune waiting in the wings, having benefited from a first-round bye, Nagal will need to be at the top of the game to progress, and the Raonic face-off will test the Indian’s abilities on the big stage.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 0

Sumit Nagal – 0

Milos Raonic – 0

Sumit Nagal and Milos Raonic will be crossing paths for the first time since joining the ATP tour. Nagal turned professional in 2015, the year Raonic won the St. Petersburg Open in Russia. Nagal has won two of his last five games, while Raonic has won three out of five. Two of Raonic’s losses have come due to retirements.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Sumit Nagal vs Milos Raonic, Indian Wells Open 2024, first-round match in India?

Sony Network will be broadcasting the much anticipated first-round match between Sumit Nagal and Milos Raonic on their mainstream media channels, complimented by their streaming service, SonyLiv. There is always a third option for tennis fans in India with Tennis TV and its on-demand coverage of all ATP matches.

The opening round between the two players gets underway on Thursday, 7th Match approximately at 6 PM (PST) – Friday 8th March, 7:30 AM (IST).

Prediction

Both Nagal and Raonic will be seeking their moment in the sun. Raonic will be looking to end his long wait for a title, while Nagal will look to build on the momentum he has built this season. The Canadian player is a well-worn veteran on the ATP tour and has been a semifinalist thrice (2015, 2018, 2019) and has one final appearance (2016) at the Indian Wells.

Nagal is making his debut at an ATP 1000 event and can pull a rabbit out of the hat. His defeat of Alexander Bublik in straight sets at the 2024 Australian Open while keeping his cool to close out a third-set tiebreaker proves his mettle in a pressure cooker situation.

Result: Sumit Nagal to win in three sets.

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