Sumit Nagal crashes out in first round of ATP 250 Geneva Open

Nagal fell short in straight sets against Sebastian Baez.

Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal was eliminated in the first round of the Geneva Open ATP 250 tournament on Sunday, falling to Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 7-6(7), 6-3.

The Geneva Open originated in 1980 but operated as a Challenger event from 1992 to 2014. In 2015, it regained ATP 250 tournament status and has since been staged annually on clay courts in the week leading up to the French Open.

The 26-year-old Nagal, currently ranked No. 93 in the world, took an early 4-1 lead in the opening set against the 19th-ranked Baez. Nagal earned a set point opportunity but Baez rallied to force a tiebreaker, which he claimed 9-7 after Nagal served for the set at 7-6.

In the second set, both players traded holds amid lengthy baseline rallies before Baez secured a break for 5-3. The Argentine then served out the 1-hour, 52-minute match with a hold at love.

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Barring this result Sumit Nagal has had a dream 2024 season so far which started at the Australian Open, where Nagal became the first Indian male in 35 years to defeat a seeded player at a Grand Slam by stunning No. 31 seed Alexander Bublik. His title at the Chennai Challenger in February then helped him crack the top 100.

With the clay court swing underway on his preferred surface, Nagal has continued to impress. He reached the second round in Marrakech after beating Corentin Moutet. He then made history as the first Indian singles player in 42 years to make the main draw at the Monte Carlo Masters, earning his first career Masters match win on clay.

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