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Sumit Nagal, the world number 93, made history at the Monte Carlo Masters, becoming the first Indian player to reach the second round of the tournament at the Court des Princes. The 26-year-old fought back from being a set down, to defeat the Italian Matteo Arnaldi in a hard-fought battle in the first round 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
In the early stages of the first set, Sumit Nagal and Matteo Arnaldi held their serve until both the players lost it in the sixth and seventh games respectively. Nagal kept fighting to stay in the contest, but he was unable to force the tie-break, losing his serve decisively in the 12th game to concede the first set 7-5.
After dropping the first set, Sumit Nagal needed to bring his A game to the floor against the world number 38, which he did admirably in the second set, especially in the fourth game. The Indian broke the serve of Matteo Arnaldi three times, and despite losing the serve once himself, he won it 6-2.
The third and the deciding set saw Arnadli lose his serve in the third game, only to level it at 3-3 with a break of his own. In response, Nagal struck back with another break before taking the scoreline to 5-3, putting the Italian in a tough spot, serving to stay in the match.
Sumit Nagal had two set and match points in the ninth game of the decider, but he was unable to convert them, letting Matteo Arnaldi hold his serve. But ultimately, the world number 93 managed to serve out the set and the match, to advance through to the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
