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T he 137th ranked Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal became the first player from the country to enter the second round of the ongoing Australian Open 2024. The 26-year-old stunned World No. 31 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7-5) in a match which lasted for two hours and 37 minutes.
Also Read: Sumit Nagal advances to second round of Australian Open 2024 Qualifiers
Nagal, the World No. 137 who had entered the main draw through the qualifiers, displayed skill to beat a seeded player to register a straight set victory. With this win, he became the first Indian to reach the second round of the Australian Open after 11 years. Before him, India’s Somdev Devvarman was the last Indian to progress in round two in 2013.
Moreover, Nagal is also the first Indian to beat a seeded player since 1989. The last player to do so was Ramesh Krishnan, who defeated World No. 1 Mats Wilander in the second round of the 1989 AO.
Speaking of the match, Nagal kickstarted the match on a high, breaking Bublik twice to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set. The Kazakh had some misses as he conceded a couple from double faults and unforced error. The Indian upped his game with his attacking moves to go 5-3 and clinch the opening set 6-4. The 26-year-old continued his dominance in the second set, winning four straight points. After a break, the Indian continued his pursuit, taking the second set 6-2.
However, Bublik rediscovered his range and leveled the third set 3-3, but Nagal soon changed the narrative going 4-3. While soon followed was a tense tie-breaker with Nagal closing the match in the next few minutes.
