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Picture Credit: X
India’s Sumit Nagal crashed out of the ongoing Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday, 18th January. The Delhi-born player, who stunned the AO2024 after progressing into the second round, was handed a defeat at the hands of China’s Juncheng Shang.
The World No. 140 ranked Shang beat the Indian 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in Round 2 at Court 13 in Melbourne. With Nagal knocking out of the first Grand Slam of the year, he penned an emotional note, thanking all who were part of his journey so far in the tournament. While he reminisced on his campaign, he also expressed his gratitude to his coaches, supports and others.
“What a rollercoaster the last few days have been at the Australian Open. Disappointed to not get over the line, but proud of the runs I had,” he captioned one of his posts. “Thanks to my coaches Sascha Nensel, Milos Galecic, and Dr. Cynthia Hucks-Smith for all the work they’ve been putting in,” he further added extending his gratitude to everyone who stood in his support.
Moreover, while Shang became the first Chinese man to reach the third round of the AO in the Open Era, the 26-year-old missed out a chance to become just the second Indian to reach the third round of the Australian Open. Notably, Ramanathan Krishnan was the only Indian to achieve the feat when he beat the seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander.
The Indian tennis sensation made history by defeating World No. 27 Alexander Bublik in the first round of the AO2024. While he became the first Indian to advance to second round after 11 years, previous being Somdev Devvarman in 2013, he also became the first Indian to beat a seeded player since 1989.