Sumit Nagal advances to pre-quarterfinals of ATP Challenger, achieves career-high rank of 73

Sumit Nagal, India's top-ranked tennis star, moved to the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP 125 Perugia Challenger. He beat Bosnian Nerman Fatic 7-6(1), 6-2 to register a win.

Nagal recently clinched the men's singles crown at the Heilbronn Neckarcup 2024 Challenger event in Germany last week. The sixth-seed Indian registered a victory in the first round in a game that lasted an hour and 52 minutes.

The battle was almost even in the first round, with hardly anything to separate the two players. However, Sumit Nagal was able to edge out Fatic in the tiebreak. From there on, he carried his brilliant first serve display and dominated his Bosnian rival in the second set.

Nagal is now set to take on local player Alessandro Giannessi in the second round. With this triumph, his rankings have further elevated. After winning the Heilbronn Neckarcup 2024 Challenger, he rose to No. 77 in the rankings.

However, with his win over Nerman Fatic, Sumit Nagal has moved up four more spots to achieve a new career-high ranking of 73, as per the ATP live rankings.

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Sumit Nagal seals Paris Olympics spot

Following his win over Bosnian Nerman Fatic, Sumit has further moved up in the ATP rankings, now at No.73, as mentioned above. The 26-year-old Indian tennis player has now all but sealed a spot in the Paris Olympics men's singles draw.

Sumit Nagal's journey to Paris, however, is a story of remarkable resilience and a dramatic rise in the rankings. Back in January, Nagal found himself languishing outside the top 100, at a lowly 138th position. However, the Indian star embarked on a phenomenal run, starting with a title win at the Chennai Open earlier this year. This victory propelled him back into the top 100.

Further, Nagal capped off a remarkable week with a Challenger title win at the Heilbronn Neckarcup in Germany on Sunday. The multiple victories saw him leapfrog in the ATP rankings and the last-minute surge proved crucial, as it helped him secure the final quota spot available through the ATP Rankings.

For Olympic tennis, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) worldwide have until July 19th to confirm their usage of quotas. While the quotas are secured, the final selection of athletes to represent India at the Olympics will be decided by the NOC. They have the authority to select the players who will represent the nation.

Sumit Nagal will be the only Indian in the men's singles event in Paris.