India Tennis star Sumit Nagal was ‘delighted’ after he secured his spot in the main draw of the Australian Open 2024 men’s singles after defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan 6-4, 6-4 on Court 3 in the final round of the qualifiers. The 26-year-old showcased his prowess on the court, spending two hours and three minutes to outplay his opponent.
‘What a battle out there today. Delighted to make the main draw of the @AustralianOpen’ Nagal wrote on X ( Formerly twitter)
This victory marked Nagal’s return to the main draw of a Grand Slam after a hiatus of three years. The last appearance in the main draw was during the Australian Open 2021, where he faced a defeat against Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis with a scoreline of 2-6, 5-7, 3-6.
The match commenced with Nagal securing an early break of serve, though he conceded one shortly after. The score was level at 5-5 before Nagal clinched his second break, ultimately sealing the set. In the second set, at 4-3, Nagal secured a crucial break, taking a 5-3 lead. Despite serving for the match at 5-3, he faced challenges, losing both match points.
With the score at 5-4, Sumit Nagal earned three crucial points, unfortunately losing two of them. In a tense moment where it appeared that Alex Molcan might salvage another match point, he unexpectedly committed a double fault. Despite Nagal facing a fitness concern and opting for a medical timeout, it did not dampen his performance on the court.
Previously, Sumit Nagal faced a challenge when the All India Tennis Association (AITA) opted not to grant him a wildcard entry for the Australian Open, citing his withdrawal from the Davis Cup. Consequently, Nagal had to participate in the qualifiers to earn his place in the main draw.
