Sumit Nagal etched his name in history as the first Indian player to secure a victory in a Masters 1000 match on clay and the first to win a singles main draw match in Monte Carlo.
Last Updated: 10.36 PM, Apr 09, 2024
After drawing notable attention at the Australian Open tournament in Melbourne, India's men's singles player Sumit Nagal is once again making waves, this time taking the field at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2024.
Sumit Nagal defeated Italian Matteo Arnaldi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to qualify for the second round, setting up a clash with 7th seed Holger Rune of Denmark on April 10. The tournament can be watched from India on the Sony Sports Ten 5 HD/SD channels, or the SonyLiv app or website. The timing of the match is yet to be decided.
Nagal, who advanced to the second round, will face last year's finalist and the world number 7, Holger Rune. The Danish player will surely present a formidable challenge for the Indian.
The last time the two crossed paths was in their round-robin Group 1 Davis Cup tie in February 2023. Rune defeated Nagal in the reverse singles tie, helping Denmark seal a 3-1 victory against India.
The Indian ace recently achieved a career-high No. 93 in the ATP Rankings. Nagal has become only the third Indian to participate in the main draw at Monaco, joining Vijay Amritraj in 1977 and Ramesh Krishnan in 1982. Nagal etched his name in history as the first Indian player to secure a victory in a Masters 1000 match on clay and the first to win a singles main draw match in Monte Carlo.
ALSO READ | Australian Open 2024 - India's Sumit Nagal creates history, defeats World No. 31 Alexander Bublik
On Monday, Nagal went on to win over the 38th-ranked Arnaldi in two hours and thirty-seven minutes. This three-set victory marked their first encounter on the ATP tour and their 2nd overall. They had previously met on the Challenger circuit in 2019 in Barletta, Italy, where Nagal had emerged victorious.
This was the 2nd instance when an Indian defeated a Top-40 player in 2024. Earlier, he had also defeated World No. 27 Alexander Bublik at the Australian Open in straight sets.