Sumit Nagal SHOCKS Tennis World! Historic Win at Australian Open 2024
Sumit Nagal of India etched his name in history by defeating World No.27 Alexander Bublik, the 31st seed in Melbourne, during the opening round of the 2024 Australian Open
Nagal, who secured his place in the main round through the qualifiers, clinched the first set 6-4 and delivered an even more dominant performance in the second set (6-2) to claim a 2-0 lead.
Despite Bublik's efforts in the third set, Nagal's superior play proved insurmountable.
The hard-fought third set, determined in a tiebreak, saw the 137th-ranked Indian player emerge victorious, propelling him to the second round.
Nagal earned entry into the Australian Open main draw by defeating Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the qualifying final the previous week.
Currently ranked 139th in singles, this marks Nagal's second appearance in the season's first Grand Slam, following his debut in 2021, where he succumbed to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in the opening round (2-6, 5-7, 3-6).
Nagal's achievement this year is noteworthy as no other Indian player has made it to the singles main draw since his 2021 entry.
In 2019 and 2020, he also secured spots in the US Open main draw, notably pushing Roger Federer to four sets in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Australian Open witnessed World No.1 Iga Swiatek's hard-fought victory over Sofia Kenin, prevailing 7-6, 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena.
Men's world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion, is scheduled to compete in a first-round match against Richard Gasquet, aiming to contend with Novak Djokovic for the top-ranking position.
Men's world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion, is scheduled to compete in a first-round match against Richard Gasquet, aiming to contend with Novak Djokovic for the top-ranking position.