Sumit Nagal rises to career-high ATP ranking of 95
India tennis sensation Sumit Nagal has reached a career-high ranking of 95 in the latest ATP rankings on Monday. He went up two places to attain his best-ever ATP career ranking ahead of the ATP 250 Marrakech.
The 26-year-old climbed to 97th spot last month after a stunning show at the Chennai Open. He won the ATP Chennai Open Challenger singles title, which saw him climb to 98th from the 121st spot. It is worth mentioning that only 10 Indian men have managed to enter the top 100 since the inception of ATP rankings in 1973.
Nagal made a stunning start at the Miami Open where he beat 6' 8" tall Canadian Diallo in straight sets. He had the opportunity to attain career-best ranking of 92, however, the Indian athlete lost to Coleman Wong in the next round of qualifiers.
Thanks to the last-minute withdrawal of Rafael Nadal, Nagal qualified for the main draw of Indian Wells. However, the defeat against Milos Raonic didn’t help his cause.
Sumit Nagal reached the Australian Open second round for the first time in January
The 26-year-old tennis star made heads turn at the Australian Open in January after reaching the second round for the first time in his career. He made history during the tournament, becoming the first-ever Indian to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam event in 35 years.
He beat then-world number 27 Alexander Bublik in straight sets, giving a glimpse of a bright future. Though, his campaign came to an end after a 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6 defeat in the second round against China’s Juncheng Shang.
The second-round contest lasted two hours and 50 minutes but Juncheng Shang prevailed in the end.
Following his Chennai Open win, Sumit Nagal suffered defeat in the semi-final of the Bengaluru Open and also lost the pre-quarter-final against Niki Poonacha. The Indian is all set to participate at the ATP 250 Marrakech, starting April 1, 2024.