Sumit Nagal secured a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open 2024 men’s singles by defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan. This victory marked Nagal’s return to the main draw of a Grand Slam after a three-year gap. While an Indian making it to the singles main draw of a slam is rare, Nagal isn’t the only one to do so. Insidesport takes a look at the recent instances when our tennis players progressed to the main draw.
Yuki Bhambri in All Four Slams in 2018
In 2018, Yuki Bhambri earned direct entry into all the Grand Slams. At the French Open, he lost in the first round to Ruben Bemelmans in straight sets. Later that year, Yuki secured direct entry into the 2018 Wimbledon Championships but suffered an opening-round loss to Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano. Opting to play at the 2018 US Open instead of the Asian Games, Yuki completed participation in the main draw of all four Grand Slam events. However, he couldn’t secure his maiden win at a Slam, losing in the opening round to Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
Nagal At Grand Slam Again
Currently ranked 139th in the world singles rankings, Sumit Nagal has made significant appearances on tennis’s grand stages. He made it to the main draw US Open in 2019 and 2020 and made an appearance in the Australian Open main draw in 2021.
Notably, at the 2020 US Open, Nagal became the first Indian in seven years to win a main draw singles match in a Grand Slam, defeating Bradley Klahn. Although he lost in the next round to eventual champion Dominic Thiem, Nagal’s performance left an impression with his groundstrokes and persistent retrieving skills, earning applause from the world No. 3.
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