From Near Empty Pockets To Ending Indian Tennis' 35-Year Wait: How Sumit Nagal Achieved The Improbable At Australian Open
Sumit Nagal returned to the big stage in grand style, pulling off one of the biggest victories of his career by stunning world number 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets to breeze into the Australian Open second round on Tuesday. Someone who was denied a regional wild card opportunity by the AITA for his refusal to play Davis Cup, Nagal came through qualifiers and sent packing 31st seed Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5) in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 38 minutes. Nagal, ranked 137 in the world, is playing in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time since 2021 Australian Open when he had lost to Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in the opening round.
