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India's top-ranked tennis player Sumit Nagal bowed out of the 2024 Shanghai Masters with a 3-6, 3-6 defeat in the first round against China's Wu Yibing, ranked World No. 564 in the ATP Rankings, at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China.
Moving into the details of the match, Sumit Nagal started off the proceedings with an early break, taking the game one and starting the contest on a good note. However, he couldn’t sustain the momentum in the second game with his opponent leveling at 1-1 in the first set.
Wu continued his good run, holding his serve and taking a 2-1 lead. The Chinese displayed amazing backhand tactics at his highest speed of 147 kph and at one point in the first set, Wu bagged 12 out of the 16 points while Nagal managed only four.
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Sumit Nagal puts up a strong effort in the dying moments of the first set but in vain
Though Nagal managed to make it 2-3, Wu was at his best, dominating his opponent, and taking the lead by 5-2. Nagal narrowed Wu's lead to 3-5 and put in a strong effort in the closing stages of the first set, a determination missing in the match's initial moments.
However, Nagal’s impressive rhythm in the dying moments of the first set couldn’t save him as Wu wasted no time in winning it by 6-3 and taking an early match lead by 1-0.
In the second set, Sumit Nagal started off the proceedings, serving through the mid-line and taking the first game in his favor. Nevertheless, Wu made a strong comeback to take the lead again by 3-1 in the second set.
Despite, Nagal reducing the lead to 3-4, Wu finished off the set and the match with sheer domination by winning it 6-3. The Chinese displayed exceptional tactics throughout the match, hitting seven aces and 25 winners compared to Nagal's zero aces and two winners.
Interestingly, this was Sumit Nagal's 10th defeat in 11 main draw matches when playing on a hard court surface, highlighting his need to attain greater consistency.
