India's Sumit Nagal crashed out of the Australian Open 2024 second round after a loss to China's Shang Juncheng in four sets. Nagal had earlier braved through the men's singles qualifiers and beaten 31st seed Alexander Bublik in the main draw. (Streaming | More Tennis News)
Nagal stormed out of the blocks in his second main draw match, taking the first set 6-2. However, he lost momentum as the game progressed, allowing his opponent to first level the scores and then take the lead by the third set. Fighting to stay in the competition, the Indian battled hard in the fourth, but his failure to secure key points on the break proved costly, as he surrendered an early advantage and spent the latter half of the round playing catch-up.
He lost the match 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6.
Born in Jhajjar, the 26-year-old made his first significant mark on tennis in 2015, when he became one of six Indians to win a Junior Grand Slam title. Paired with Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam, Nagal beat Reilly Opelka and Akira Santillan in the Wimbledon Junior boys' doubles championship to collect the accolade.
His senior career, however, has yet to yield the same triumphs. Four years after his Wimbledon juniors' win, Nagal debuted at a Grand Slam. At the 2019 US Open, the Indian paired up against Roger Federer in the main draw, and although he lost the bout, he did take one set away from the seasoned champion.
Earlier this year, Nagal broke into the Australian Open main draw for the first time. He, then, beat the seeded Alexander Bublik and progressed to the second round of the competition.
