Paris, May 21 (IANS) India’s top-ranked singles player, Sumit Nagal, suffered a disappointing second-round exit from the French Open qualifiers, losing 2-6, 4-6 to Austria’s Jurij Rodionov on Wednesday at Roland Garros.

The defeat not only ended Nagal’s campaign in Paris but also marked the first time in 2024 that he will miss the main draw of a Grand Slam.

Nagal, ranked 170th in the world, had begun his qualifying journey with a confident straight-sets win over American Mitchell Krueger. However, he couldn’t replicate that form against the 225th-ranked Rodionov, who wrapped up the contest in one hour and 29 minutes.

The Austrian was the more composed of the two, especially in the key moments, and capitalised on Nagal’s errors to progress.

The first set saw Rodionov dominate with powerful groundstrokes and better court coverage, breaking Nagal twice to take it 6-2. In the second set, the Indian looked to mount a comeback. After falling behind 2-4, Nagal fought back strongly, breaking Rodionov’s serve in the seventh game and then holding serve in a tricky eighth game where he trailed 0-30.

At 4-4, the match seemed poised for a tense finish. But serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Nagal faltered once more, dropping his serve to hand Rodionov the win and his place in the final qualifying round.

The loss is a significant setback for Nagal, who had made it to the main draw of all four Grand Slams so far this season — a rare feat for an Indian singles player in recent years. His breakthrough in 2024 had seen him enter directly or qualify for the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.

This early exit at Roland Garros will be a tough pill to swallow as he continues his pursuit of consistency on the big stage. Nagal is expected to regroup and shift focus to the grass-court season, where he will aim to gain momentum ahead of the Wimbledon qualifiers.

–IANS

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