Nagal fights his way into main draw

Pune, December 31 

India’s young gun Sumit Nagal said he was playing his “best tennis” for the last few months as he earned his debut on the ATP World Tour by qualifying for the inaugural Tata Open with a hard-fought win over seasoned Adrian Menendez-Maceiras here today.

In a gruelling second-round qualifying match, the 20-year-old prevailed 6-2 3-6 6-4 over the world No. 127 after battling hard for two hours and 21 minutes, saving nine of the 11 breakpoints on his serve. It was his fourth meeting with Menendez-Maceiras, having lost to the 32-year-old in all three previous attempts.

“Last year, when I lost to him, I had three match points,” said Nagal.

“Today also I was 1-3 down in the third set but I pushed myself and changed my game and I am happy it worked this time,” said the Haryana-born player who had won the junior Wimbledon doubles title in 2015.

Nagal comes into the tournament high on confidence, having won the $100,000 Bengaluru Open last month.

“It’s the best tennis I am playing in the last three-four months. I hope to carry the momentum into the 2018 season. I hope to do well at the Challenger and Tour levels,” he said. “It’s a bit of everything. With age you grow stronger. I am not very big. I am not the guy who serves big, so I need time to develop my strokes, my physical and mental strength.”

Due to his excellent court coverage and retrieving ability, he has been compared to Somdev Devvarman. “You can’t compare me to Somdev. If I can be as fast and as good in fitness level, I will be very happy. But there is a huge difference. I hope one day I will also improve. I will keep taking advice from him,” he said.

In the opening round, the world No. 223 will clash with another qualifier, world No. 230 Ilya Ivashka. — PTI