Sumit Nagal goes down to Korea's Seong-chan Hong in final qualifying round of Indian Wells Open 2024

Sumit Nagal lost to three sets.

India’s top ranked tennis player in singles, Sumit Nagal, went down in three sets to Korea’s Seong-chan Hong in the final qualifying round of the Indian Wells Masters 2024. Nagal, who is set to re-enter the top 100 of ATP rankings next week, lost 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7) late on Tuesday night that ended his bid of quallifying for the main draw of the tournament.

He had earlier defeated American wildcard Stefan Dostanic in straight sets in the qualifying round 1 of the BNP Paribas Open. Nagal, India’s No.1 in singles, beat Dostanic in straight sets (6-2, 6-2) to advance to the final round of qualifying.

Despite his loss to Hong, Nagal will have a shot at reaching the main draw in case of a withdrawal. He also returns with some valuable ranking points and $14,400 worth prize money by virtue of winning the opening round match in qualifiers.

The victory was another proof of the form he has been enjoying of late. Earlier this season, Nagal became the first Indian men’s singles player in a decade to advance to the second round of the Australian Open. His opening round win at the Australian Open 2024 came against 27th seed Alexander Bublik, who recently finished as runner-up at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

It also made Nagal the first singles player in 35 years to defeat a seeded opponent at Grand Slams. Following his heroics at Melbourne, Nagal returned to India and won the Chennai Challenger title which propelled him into the top 100 of ATP Rankings for the first time in his career. By breaking into the top 100, Nagal entered an exclusive club of only 10 Indian men’s singles players who have achieved the feat.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram