Tokyo Olympics 2020: Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin preview, head-to-head & prediction

Sumit Nagal
Sumit Nagal

Match details

Fixture: Sumit Nagal [IND] vs Denis Istomin [UZB]

Date: 24 July 2021

Tournament: Tokyo Olympics

Round: First Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan

Category: Olympic Games

Surface: Outdoor hard

Time: Approx. 1 pm local time, 4 am GMT, 12 am ET, 9.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv

Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin preview

India's Sumit Nagal will make his Olympic debut on Saturday when he takes on Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in an all-Asian first-round clash at the Tokyo Games.

Nagal has had a mediocre 2021 season so far, accumulating a combined 18-17 win-loss record on the main tour and the Challenger circuit. The Indian has dropped five of his last seven matches and arrives in Tokyo low on confidence.

To make matters worse, Nagal is currently dealing with a minor injury, which might affect his campaign at the quadrennial event. That said, the 23-year-old has done well playing under the Indian flag in the past; Nagal won the gold medal at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games.

Denis Istomin, meanwhile, has had an even worse season than Nagal. The former World No. 33 holds a 14-19 win-loss record across all competitive matches, and has seen his ranking fall as low as 197.

Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin head-to-head

The first-round match in Tokyo will be the first-ever career meeting between Sumit Nagal and Denis Istomin, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin prediction

Denis Istomin beat Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open
Denis Istomin beat Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open

Denis Istomin possesses a big serve and some huge groundstrokes, which helped him upset Novak Djokovic at the 2017 Australian Open. The Uzbek, however, has lacked consistency in recent years. After a career-best season in 2017, he ended up falling out of the top 100 two years later.

Istomin has plied his trade mainly on the Challenger circuit since then. That said, the 34-year-old still has plenty of experience at the highest level.

Like Istomin, Nagal also competes mainly on the Challenger tour. The World No. 160 has a solid forehand and great movement, which will come in handy on the slow hardcourts at the Ariake Tennis Park. The Indian will thufancy his chances against Istomin.

The Uzbek has lost some of his speed in recent seasons and might be given the runaround by the speedy Nagal. As long as the Indian is not plagued by injury, he should be able to advance to the second round.

Prediction: Sumit Nagal to win in straight sets