Moselle Open 2024: Why did Sumit Nagal withdraw mid-way during his Round of 32 match against Corentin Moutet?
Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal faced an unfortunate end to his campaign at the Moselle Open 2024 on Sunday, November 3. The ATP 250 tournament, held at the Arènes de Metz in France, witnessed a mid-match withdrawal from Nagal during his Round-of-32 battle with Frenchman Corentin Moutet, cutting short what was anticipated to be a competitive clash.
The 27-year-old Nagal, ranked 83rd in the ATP rankings, entered the match as India’s top-ranked men’s singles player, and took on Moutet, the local favorite, ranked 66th. Despite the ranking difference, Nagal started strong but physical discomfort and a subsequent injury forced him to retire midway, conceding the match to Moutet with the score at 5-7, 0-4.
Sumit Nagal’s strong start in the Moselle Open 2024 goes in vain due to an injury
Sumit Nagal began the match with impressive form, securing an early break of serve to take a 5-2 lead in the first set. He appeared to be in control and had Moutet on the defensive.
However, the Frenchman rallied and came back in style to win four consecutive games, eventually overturning Nagal’s lead to claim the first set 7-5. As the second set began, Nagal’s physical discomfort became evident. Moutet capitalized on this shift, extending his winning streak to nine consecutive games and establishing a 4-0 lead. Struggling with increasing discomfort, Nagal made the difficult decision to withdraw, allowing Moutet to progress to the next round.
Nagal’s early retirement from the Moselle Open is a setback for the Indian player, who had shown promising form despite facing a higher-ranked opponent. This marked his sixth encounter with Moutet, who has now won four of their head-to-head clashes. Their most recent match took place at the Paris Olympics 2024, where Moutet also came out on top 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in a closely contested three-set battle.