Sumit Nagal was handed a straight-set defeat by Canada’s Milos Raonic in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open here, bringing a swift end to the Indian tennis player’s campaign after he made the main draw as a ‘lucky loser’ due to Rafael Nadal’s pullout. Nagal, who is ranked 101st in the ATP charts, went down 3-6 3-6 in a match that lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
Raonic, who entered the match with a protected ranking of 224, converted three of the 12 break points he earned during the encounter. Nagal, on the other hand, could not manage to make good of the two break points he got.
Nagal had lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament but snaked into main draw after Nadal’s last-minute withdrawal, citing lack of readiness for the event. The Spaniard has been battling injury issues and was forced to undergo a hip surgery last season.
The 26-year-old Indian created quite a flutter in January when he advanced to the second round of the Australian Open. That effort had played a big part in launching him into the top-100 of the ATP rankings.
If he manages to make it back to the bracket and holds on to it, Nagal will have a shot at qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
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