Generali Open: Sumit Nagal suffers a Round of 16 defeat just before the Paris Olympics 2024

Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal experienced a setback at the Generali Open 2024, his final tournament before heading to the Paris Olympics 2024. The Generali Open, also known as the Austrian Open or ATP Kitzbuhel, is an ATP 250 event played on clay courts and is currently taking place in Kitzbühel, Austria.

Nagal, who entered the tournament unseeded, faced a tough challenge in the Round of 16 against the fourth seed, Pedro Martinez of Spain. Despite a strong start, Nagal lost in straight sets, 5-7, 5-7. The defeat came as a disappointment for the Indian player, who had shown promise earlier in the match.

Ranked as India's top men's singles player and World No. 68, Nagal initially took a 3-0 lead against World No. 45 Martinez in the first set. However, Martinez mounted a comeback to make the score 5-3 and eventually took the set 5-7. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Nagal leading 4-3 before Martinez rallied to win with the same 5-7 scoreline.

He would be disappointed to bow out like this despite being in the lead in both sets. Nagal had a notable victory in the Round of 32, where he defeated Slovakia's Lukas Klein in a three-set thriller, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3).

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What next for Sumit Nagal?

With the Generali Open now behind him, Sumit Nagal will focus on his upcoming challenge at the Paris Olympics 2024. He is the sole Indian representative in the men’s singles category. This will mark his second Olympic appearance after competing in Tokyo 2020.

In Tokyo, Nagal made headlines by defeating Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 in the first round, becoming the first Indian men's singles player to reach the second round in 25 years. However, his campaign ended in the second round against then World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, who won 6-2, 6-1.

As Sumit Nagal prepares for Paris, he aims to achieve what has eluded Indian tennis since Leander Paes' bronze medal in 1996 - an Olympic medal.