Sumit Nagal breaks new ground, beats World No.38 to enter second round of Monte Carlo Masters

Sumit Nagal became the first Indian to win a main draw match at the Monte Carlo Masters after he defeated World No.38 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round on Monday. Nagal also became the first from the country to win a main draw match at one of the three Masters 1000 events – the series that started in 1990 – held on clay.

After a long grind back to his best form and level following injury setbacks, Nagal has worked his way up from being ranked outside the top 500 last year. This year, he has turned things around, fighting a lonely battle representing India in top-level singles action.

The 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength ever since reaching the second round of the Australian Open at the start of this year, entering the top 100 for the first time in his career. In February, he won a Challenger Tour event – a rung lower the ATP Tour – in Chennai, and followed that up with a semifinal finish in Bengaluru. The following month, he qualified for the main draw for the Indian Wells Masters 1000 showpiece.

Sumit Nagal’s reaction after becoming the 1st Indian man to win a match in a Masters event on clay

Can’t describe how big a moment this is, not just for him, but for an entire country

He’s worked so hard for so long.

Finally, his time has come 🇮🇳🥹

pic.twitter.com/G7K5JP37vV

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 8, 2024

Nagal’s incremental gains have taken him to an enviable position in the top 100. His ranking has allowed him to directly play in the qualification rounds of top ATP events, and doing well in Challengers has allowed him to keep his place there. The top 104 players are given direct entry into the four Grand Slam events, which allow for opportunities to earn sizable prize money. Nagal earned $180,000 for his second-round finish in Melbourne this year. He earned $18,230 for winning the Challenger in Chennai.

These earnings will allow him to sustain his progress, invest in his own game and produce results, especially on his preferred surface of clay. After qualifying for the main draw in Monte Carlo and winning his first round, confidence will be high ahead of the summer clay season that will culminate in the French Open starting next month.

“I’m just enjoying playing tennis right now, enjoying competing,” Nagal said after the win on Monday. “Looking at my last few years, when I lost so much time (due to injuries), this is the best I could have hoped for.”

The Indian dropped the tight first set on Monday, breaking back immediately in the seventh game to keep things on serve before slipping while serving to stay in it at 5-6. From there, however, Nagal took control by falling back on his ability to grind out points in long rallies. He broke Arnaldi’s serve three times to take the second set. He also made sure nerves did not get in the way, breaking back immediately after he lost his advantage to see out the win in the decider.

“It was a very good match from my side,” he said. “The match is best-of-three, losing the first set desn’t mean you’ve lost. I knew that once the rallies were going longer, I was winning a majority of the points. So I just tried to figure it out, change the strategy a bit between the first and second sets, and once I had control of the rallies, I felt it became a little easier for me.”

The India No.1 will face seventh seed and last year’s finalist, Denmark’s Holger Rune, in the second round at the French principality.

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