Latest news with #Nagal
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Sumit Nagal Exits Tampere Open In Semifinals
Sumit Nagal had also finished as a semifinalist in an event in Italy earlier this month. Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal fell short of reaching his first Challenger-level final of the season, losing a hard-fought battle against Sasha Gueymard Wayenburg in the semifinals of the Tampere Open in Tampere on Saturday. Ranked 306, Nagal was defeated 5-7, 2-6 by his French opponent, who is ranked 57 places below him, in the clay court event. At 5-5, 15-all, Wayenburg hit a forehand wide and long, followed by another forehand error, giving Nagal two breakpoints. Wayenburg responded by hitting deep into the corners, opening up the court for winners. He saved the first breakpoint with an overhead smash while Nagal made an unforced error, wasting the second chance. The Frenchman eventually held his serve, forcing Nagal to serve to push the opening set to a tie-breaker. However, Nagal netted a backhand return, giving Wayenburg his first set point. Nagal saved it with a forehand winner on his opponent's right flank. Wayenburg outwitted Nagal on the next point, leaving him wrong-footed and smashing a backhand winner to earn another set point. He secured the set with an overhead smash, pushing Nagal to the back of the court with deep hitting on both flanks. In the second set, Nagal had a chance to take the lead with breakpoints in the first game but could not capitalise. To make matters worse, he was down a breakpoint after hitting a backhand long at 30-all in the next game. Wayenburg did not miss the opportunity and took a 2-0 lead. The French player played smartly, often charging to the net to smash easy winners, quickly advancing to a 3-0 lead. From that point, it was one-way traffic. Nagal equalled his best performance of the 2025 season, having reached the semifinals of an event in Italy earlier this month. With PTI Inputs view comments First Published: July 26, 2025, 21:01 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Nagal loses Tampere Open semifinals
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 26 (PTI) Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal missed on his first Challenger-level final of the season after going down fighting against Sasha Gueymard Wayenburg in the semifinals of the Tampere Open, on Saturday. Ranked 306, Nagal lost 5-7 2-6 to his French rival, placed 57 places below him, in the clay court event. At 5-5, 15-all, Wayenburg hit a forehand wide and long and followed that up with a forehand errors to hand the Indian two breakpoints. Wayenburg began to hit deep in the corners to open up the court for winners. He saved the first breakpoint with an overhead smash while Nagal made an unforced error to squander the second chance. The French eventually held his serve, bringing Nagal to serve to push the opening set to a tie-breaker. However, Nagal netted a backhand return to hand the Frenchman his first set point. The Indian saved that with a forehand winner on the right flank of his opponent. Wayenburg outwitted Nagal on the next point, leaving him wrong-footed to smash a backhand winner to earn another set point. Wayenburg pocketed the set with an overhead smash after pushing Nagal to the back of the court with deep hitting on both flanks. Nagal had an opportunity to nose ahead in the second set when he had breakpoints in the very first game but could not cash in. Making it worse, he was down a breakpoint himself after firing a backhand long at 30-all in the next game. Wayenburg, though, did not miss the chance and took a 2-0 lead. The French player played smartly and often charged to the net to smash easy winners. In no time, he was leading 3-0. From then on, it was a one-way traffic. Nagal matched his best show of the 2025 season as he had finished a semifinalist in an event in Italy early this month. PTI AT AM AT AM AM view comments First Published: July 26, 2025, 20:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Nagal returns to Davis Cup fold after 2 yrs, Yuki comes back
New Delhi: India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Friday returned to the Davis Cup squad after a two-year absence while number one doubles player Yuki Bhambri also made a comeback to the national fold after missing two ties as the AITA selection panel picked an eight-member squad for the away match against Switzerland. India will travel to the city of Biel for the World Group I first-round tie, which will be played on indoor courts from September 12. Nagal's last appearance was the home tie against Morocco in Lucknow in September 2023 where he won both his singles matches in India's 4-1 win. He did not travel to Pakistan for the historic tie in February 2024 and also missed the subsequent matches against Sweden and Togo. Nagal has dropped outside the top-300 bracket due to lack of form and unfavourable results this season. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy this month has been his best showing this season. Apart from Nagal (ranked 306), India chose singles players in Karan Singh (403) and young Aryan Shah (442). Sasikumar Mukund (463) and talented Dakshineshwar Suresh (790) will be the reserve singles players for the tie. Top-ranked Bhambri (ranked 35), and N Sriram Balaji (75) are the doubles players chosen in the squad which will have Rithvik Bollipalli (77) as reserve. Bhambri had travelled to Pakistan and contributed to the team's 4-0 win against the hosts in Islamabad but has not featured in the national team since then. The tie will be played on the indoor courts, which are likely to be fast. Nagal's game is best suited for slower courts. 'Sumit Nagal had a great journey to top-100. He plays at a high level, he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy. In the Denmark tie against Holger Rune, it was a tight have to see what kind of bounce the court offers,' India skipper Rohit Rajpal told PTI. Asked about Dakshineshwar's inclusion ahead of a few higher-ranked players, Rajpal said, 'We have been studying his game for some time. His hard court game is good. He is 6'5' and has a big serve, and this is going to be an asset on fast indoors courts. I think, he has a crucial role to play in this tie. 'We will have practice matches and pick the final team on form, fitness and match sharpness,' he added. Rajpal also informed that young Manas Dhamne was available for selection only if he was in the playing squad. 'I don't like these conditions but he has a bright future and this time we have accepted his decision. He wants to up his ranking by playing tournaments.' It will be interesting to see Switzerland's line-up. They had lost to Spain 1-3 in the Davis Cup qualifiers. Jerome Kym is their highest-ranked singles player at number 145, followed by Stan Wawrinka (156), Marc-Andrea Huesler (170) and Dominic Stricker (205). Rajpal said rankings do not reflect the right picture of the European players.
News18
4 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Nagal progresses to semifinals of Tampere Open
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) India's Sumit Nagal breezed into the singles semifinal of the Tampere ATP Challenger event in Finland following a straight-sets win over Argentine qualifier Nicolas Kicker on Friday. Nagal, ranked 306, pulled off a 6-4 6-3 win over Kicker, who is ranked 361 in the singles ATP chart. It was third meeting between the two players and Nagal now leads the head-to-head record 2-1. The last time they clashed was in 2022 when Kicker emerged winner in the Guayaquil pre-quarterfinals. The 28-year-old Indian won 67 points to 51 of his rival. Gradually getting back to form, Nagal has now matched his best finish of the season as he had ended a semifinalist at the Trieste Challenger in Italy. Nagal has won six Challenger singles titles from 10 finals. Meanwhile, competing at the Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills in the USA, second-seeded Indian pair of Anirudh Chandrasekar and Ramkumar Ramanathan made a quarterfinal exit after losing 6-4 4-6 7-10 to local wildcards Stefan Dostanic and Benjamin Kittay. PTI AT AM AT AM AM Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Davis Cup: Sumit Nagal, Yuki Bhambri return to India squad for Switzerland clash
Sumit Nagal (PTI Photo) Sumit Nagal and Yuki Bhambri have returned to the Indian Davis Cup squad for the upcoming World Group I first-round clash against Switzerland, to be held in Biel from September 12. This will be Nagal's first appearance since the 2023 home tie against Morocco, while Bhambri re-enters the fold after missing two consecutive ties. India's top-ranked singles player Nagal had missed the historic away tie in Pakistan earlier this year as well as the subsequent contests against Sweden and Togo. His form this season has dipped, resulting in a current ranking of 306. A semifinal finish at the Trieste Challenger in Italy remains his best result in 2024. In singles, Nagal will be joined by Karan Singh (403) and 19-year-old Aryan Shah (442). Sasikumar Mukund (463) and Dakshineshwar Suresh (790) have been named as reserves. Bhambri, currently India's highest-ranked doubles player at 35, will partner N Sriram Balaji (75) for the tie. Rithvik Bollipalli (77) is the reserve doubles player. Bhambri had last played for India during the away win over Pakistan in February, but sat out of the ties against Sweden and Togo. Captain Rohit Rajpal backed his comeback along with Nagal's return despite surface challenges. "Sumit Nagal had a great journey to top-100. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Nvidia's AI Strategy Is Clear - But Is Wall Street Paying Attention? Seeking Alpha Read More Undo He plays at a high level, he can make those adjustments. It's not going to be easy," Rajpal told PTI. The tie will be played indoors, with Rajpal acknowledging the likely fast conditions. On Dakshineshwar's inclusion, he added, "We have been studying his game for some time. His hard court game is good. He is 6'5" and has a big serve, and this is going to be an asset on fast indoors courts." Rajpal confirmed that the final playing team will be chosen based on form, fitness and match sharpness during practice in Biel. Poll What factor do you think is most critical for India's success against Switzerland? Player fitness Team strategy Adapting to new conditions Ramkumar Ramanathan was dropped from the squad, with selectors pointing to a lack of form and struggles on the Challenger circuit. The squad was finalised by the AITA selection panel, led by Nandan Bal. India led the head-to-head against Switzerland 2-1, with the last meeting in 1993 resulting in a 3-2 win for the hosts in Calcutta South Club. Indian Squad vs Switzerland Singles: Sumit Nagal, Karan Singh, Aryan Shah Doubles: Yuki Bhambri, N Sriram Balaji Reserves: Dakshineshwar Suresh, Sasikumar Mukund, Rithvik Bollipalli For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
