Indian Sumit Nagal failed to secure a place in the main draw of the French Open after the qualification phase lost in the second round of the qualifying phase in Paris on Wednesday 21st. The best rated Indian male player of men was the exclusive hope in the singles competition, and his departure means that India will not have any representation in the main draw of singles this year.
Nagal dropped 2-6, 4-6 to Yuri Rodionov, Austrian, an opponent with a lower rating, in what proved to be mostly one-sided competition. The Indian fought with the consistency in his administration and returning games during the match.
After dropping the first set and falling in 2-4 in the second, Nagal showed some resistance in the seventh game by disintegrating. Then he held to set up a set for 4-4, despite the fact that he watched 0-30 in the next game. Nagal, however, to stay in the match, lost his service in the 10th game and ended his qualifying campaign.
The loss meant a surprising decline in the form for the world no. Nagal expressed confidence in social media after this victory and thanked the fans for their support in Paris.
For Nagal, it was a disappointment that he could not first draw the main draw of Grand Slam in more than a year. In 2023 he qualified for the main draw of all four large slams and gained direct access to the Australian Open 2025.
After his first round in Melbourne, Nagal focused on the clay season in February. But he tried to find a form, suffered early exits in ATP 250 tournaments and at Challenger level and could not transfer to French open qualifiers.
Published:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
May 21, 2025
