Sumit Nagal upsets Alexander Bublik in straight sets in Australian Open 2024

Sumit Nagal has scripted history at the Australian Open 2024. The 26-year-old defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik by 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in straight sets to progress further in the tournament. It was a proud moment for India as the talented player overcame the world number 27 player in the first round of the tournament, making him the first player to do so since 1989.

In the 1980s, Ramesh Krishnan was the last Indian men’s singles player to win the first-round match of the Australian Open against a seeded player. The feat of Nagal is a lot more incredible as he did it against the 27th-ranked player in the world, who is also seeded 31st in the ongoing tournament. The progress of Nagal in the last few months has been incredible, to say the least.

A year ago, Nagal was ranked 503 in the ATP rankings. A few weeks back before the Australian Open 2024, Nagal had expressed his disappointment with the lack of sponsors and support for his coaching and training. Despite the adversities, Nagal has fought hard and has been able to make a statement in Melbourne. He is now ranked 137 in the world rankings but has taken out a superior player.

Dominating win from Sumit Nagal

At no point did Nagal seem like letting go. Rather, the pressure was on Bublik to be at his best, which he was not. In the first set, Nagal claimed a 6-4 win. To back it up, Sumit claimed the second set of the match by a margin of 6-2 to put the Kazak under pressure. The third set was a thriller which went down to the wire. It asked Sumit to be at his best in Melbourne.

The set seemed like a roller coaster of a journey. Sumit had a lead of 4-2 at one point. But the set progressed to witness a comeback from Bublik, who forced the tiebreaker to happen. In the tiebreaker, Nadal broke the serves of Bublik and forced a result against Kazak. The win has been huge for Sumit, who would be hoping to perform well in the rest of the tournament.