A profligate Sumit Nagal’s Australian Open marketing campaign led to a straight-set defeat in opposition to world quantity 25 Tomas Machac within the males’s singes occasion on Sunday. The highest Indian singles participant didn’t capitalise on his possibilities, shedding 3-6 1-6 5-7 to his opponent kind Czech Republic, who dominated together with his superior consistency and precision.
India’s Sumit Nagal in motion.(REUTERS)
Nagal, ranked 91st, began the match confidently, dropping simply two factors in his first three service video games. Nevertheless, a double fault and a string of pressured and unforced errors noticed him lose his serve within the seventh and ninth video games, handing Machac the opening set.
Within the second set, Nagal had an early likelihood to interrupt Machac within the opening recreation, however the Czech participant held agency, saving the breakpoint. From there, Machac seized management, wrapping up the set in simply 36 minutes as Nagal struggled to maintain up.
Trailing by two units, Nagal mounted a spirited fightback within the third set, securing an early break and racing to a 3-0 lead, which he prolonged to 5-3. Nevertheless, a flurry of errors, together with one other double fault, allowed Machac to stage a comeback with an important break.
The Czech participant capitalised on the momentum, closing out the match and ending Nagal’s marketing campaign. Final 12 months, Nagal made headlines by reaching the Australian Open essential draw via the qualifiers and beautiful higher-ranked Alexander Bublik within the first spherical earlier than bowing out within the second.
This time, his early exit in opposition to Machac marks the tip of India’s marketing campaign within the singles occasion. Nevertheless, Indian illustration continues within the doubles class.
Final 12 months’s males’s doubles champion Rohan Bopanna, who clinched the title with Australia’s Matthew Ebden, will pair up with Colombia’s Nicolas Barrientos this 12 months.
Different Indian gamers within the doubles draw embrace Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli, who will compete with their respective companions.