NEW DELHI: Sumit Nagal, India's highest-ranked tennis player, progressed to the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP 125 Perugia Challenger in Perugia, Italy on Tuesday, securing a straight sets victory against Nerman Fatic of Bosnia.
The sixth-seeded Indian, who recently clinched the men's singles title at the Heilbronn Neckarcup 2024 Challenger event in Germany, emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(1), 6-2 in a match that spanned one hour and 52 minutes.
The opening set was closely contested, with both players displaying comparable skills, but Nagal managed to gain the upper hand in the tiebreak. He then carried forward his impressive first serve performance, asserting his dominance over his Bosnian opponent in the second set.
In the second round, Nagal is set to face Alessandro Giannessi, a local player. This victory has propelled Nagal to a new career-high ranking of 73 in the ATP live rankings, marking a four-spot improvement.
At 26 years old, Nagal has virtually guaranteed his place in the men's singles draw at the Paris Olympics. He is expected to be the only Indian representative in the men's singles event in Paris.
The International Tennis Federation will inform national federations about the qualified athletes by June 12, after which the National Olympic Committees will have until June 19 to confirm their entries.
(With PTI inputs)
