When was the last time an Indian qualified for the French Open main draw?
Sumit Nagal secured a spot in the main draw at the French Open, thanks to his consistent performances of late. Sumit became the first Indian since 2019 to make it to the Roland Garros, the prestigious clay court Grand Slam.
The last time an Indian qualified for the main draw of the French Open was former No.1 Indian tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran. It happened way back in 2019 in the men’s singles category.
However, Prajnesh made the first-round exit in the French Open 2019. He suffered a one-sided defeat over the then 92nd-ranked player Hugo Dellien from Bolivia with a scoreline of 1-6, 3-6, and 1-6.
Moving into the details of the game, Prajnesh never looked settled in the contest as he went on to make 34 unforced errors, one of the main reasons behind his defeat.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran was broken six times in three sets as he failed to create an impact despite being ranked seven places above his opponent. Dellien smashed 21 winners and five aces to stay ahead of the Indian.
In the same year, Prajnesh made his debut in the Australian Open, losing in the first round of the Grand Slam event over Frances Tiafoe. Furthermore, he was part of the Wimbledon and US Open in 2019, making first-round exits.
Sumit Nagal creates history after securing a spot in the French Open
After Prajnesh Gunneswaran made it to the Roland-Garros, the current 93rd-ranked Indian tennis sensation Sumit Nagal is all set to prove his mettle in the competition. The campaign is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 9.
Recently, Sumit secured the second round at the ATP 250 Grand Priz Hassan II in Morocco after picking up a victory over Corentin Moutet from France. However, he later lost to Lorenzo Songeo from Italy in the pre-quarter-final contest.
In April 2024, the 26-year-old tennis star created history after making it to the second round in the main draw of the Monte-Carlos Masters tournament.
So far, Sumit Nagal has bagged five ATP Challenger Tour Titles in his career. In 2017, he started his career with a Bengaluru Open title win. Later, he clinched a win in Buenos Aires in 2019. Moreover, he secured wins in Tampere and Rome in 2023. Most recently, he bagged the Chennai Open title win in 2024.