US Open: Sumit Nagal faces first round exit, loses to Tallon Griekspoor

New York, Aug 27 (IANS) India's tennis ace Sumit Nagal bowed out of the US Open after losing in the first round match against Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday.

Nagal was out of touch in the first two sets of the clash, however, he fought hard to take the third set to tie-breaker before ending up on the losing side 1-6, 3-6, 6-7 (6) against the Dutch opponent.

Griekspoor exhibited his outright dominance in the opening set as he broke Nagal multiple times to secure a 6-1 win. Griekspoor, ranked 40th in the world, maintained his momentum and kept the Indian player on the defensive. Although Nagal showed significant improvement in the second set, it wasn’t enough to hold off Griekspoor, who took the set 6-3.

Facing the prospect of an early exit, Nagal elevated his game in the third set and even held two set points during the tie-breaker to keep his chances alive. However, the Dutchman responded with a perfect ace to close the gap and then clinched the match with impressive composure.

This was Nagal's third appearance in the US Open main draw, following his previous entries in 2019 and 2020. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old has had a challenging season, failing to advance beyond the second round at the Australian Open and suffering first-round exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships.

Nagal also faced disappointment at the Paris Olympics, where he was knocked out in the first round after losing to Frenchman Corentin Moutet. Nagal lost 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the round of 64, ending his Olympic campaign early.

India's hopes at the US Open remain alive, with Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri, and N Sriram Balaji yet to start their campaigns in the men's doubles category alongside their respective partners.

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