Brawo Open: Sumit Nagal advances to Round of 16 after a dominating win over Felipe Alves
Top Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal has advanced to the Round of 16 of the Brawo Open 2024, also known as the ATP Braunschweig Challenger. Nagal defeated Brazilian Felipe Alves 6-1, 6-4 in the Round of 32 on Tuesday, July 9, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Nagal, ranked 73rd in the men’s singles ATP rankings, claimed an easy victory over the 145th-ranked Alves. The Brazilian has a great record on clay courts, having won three Challenger titles, but he couldn’t breach through the Indian challenge.
Sumit Nagal started off with a dominant 6-1 win in the first set but was made to work hard in the second. Alves took a commanding 4-1 lead and was almost on the verge of taking away that set. But Nagal bounced back in style to secure the set 6-4 as well as the match.
It was a much-needed win for the Indian after coming from first-round exits at Wimbledon 2024 in both men’s singles and men’s doubles.
Who will Sumit Nagal play next at the Brawo Open?
After a win over Felipe Alves, Sumit Nagal will take on Argentina’s Pedro Cachin in the Round of 16. Cachin is coming into this game on the back of a 6-3, 6-4 win over Frenchman Grégoire Barrère.
They play on Wednesday, July 10, in an attempt to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The Brawo Open acts as a preparation for Nagal, who will be participating in the Paris Olympics 2024, where the matches will be played on the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros.
Notably, Nagal is the only Indian player to have qualified for the men’s singles category at the Summer Olympics 2024 in Paris. Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji, meanwhile, will feature in the men’s doubles event. The tennis events there are scheduled to be held from July 27 to August 4.