India’s rising tennis star Sumit Nagal’s fairytale start to the ongoing Australian Open ended on a bitter note following his second-round defeat to China’s Shang Juncheng on Thursday.
Nagal fought hard for each point but ended up on the losing side by 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6. Nagal started the game brightly securing the first set by 6-2 with India’s dominance written all over it.
Shang attempted to outmanoeuvre Nagal with a strong forehand play, but the Indian replied back to outplay his opponents at his own game.
Nagal took advantage of Shang by forcing him to play a backhand stroke which led to a number of forced errors.
Nagal running high on confidence soon got a reality check with Shang showcasing a strong serve game. The Indian tennis star replied back to make it 1-1, but Shang went on to break Nagal’s serve and win the next three games.
The Indian tried to rally back and push for a late comeback, but Shang kept his composure to bring the tie back to parity.
Nagal with a hunger to get back into the lead gave a strong fight to world no. 140. Both players toiled hard to break each other’s serve. Eventually, the young Chinese sensation held his nerve to win back-to-back games and move into the lead for the first time. The second consecutive defeat left Nagal with no other option but to emerge victorious in the fourth set.Once again the set looked poised ot go down to the wire. With the scoreline reading 4-4, Shang shifted through gears forcing Nagal to switch from forehand to backhand. He sealed the game with a service ace and moved to the third round.
Nagal will still bow out of the competition with his head held high as he became the first Indian player to defeat a seeded opponent at a Grand Slam in 35 years since 1989.