Meet Sumit Nagal, 26-year-old tennis player shining at Australian Open, leaves star player…

In a remarkable victory, India's Sumit Nagal defeated World No. 31 Alexander Bublik with a straight-set triumph of 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5) at the Australian Open. Advancing into the second round, Nagal is set to face the winner between Mackenzie McDonald and Shang Juncheng.

Nagal's achievement marks a historic moment as he becomes the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan at the 1989 Australian Open to defeat a seeded player at a Grand Slam. The top-ranked Indian singles player secured his place in the main draw by defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan without dropping a set, marking his fourth Major appearance.

Born on August 16, 1997, in Jhajjar, Haryana, Sumit Nagal began playing tennis at the age of eight at a local sports club. He joined Mahesh Bhupathi's training academy at ten, as part of the first batch of Mahesh Bhupathi's Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 program. After the program's closure, Nagal trained in Toronto with Coach Bobby Mahal.

Recovering from injuries, Nagal increased his ranking to 122 after being outside the top 500 last year. His strong qualifying campaign at the Australian Open, where he didn't drop a set in three matches, showcased his good form.

Sumit Nagal, the last Indian to play in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam at the 2021 Australian Open, received a singles wildcard at the time. In the 2020 US Open, Nagal achieved another milestone as the first Indian in seven years to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam.