Sumit Nagal became the youngest Indian in 25 years to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw after advancing through the US Open 2019 qualifying tournament. Sumit Nagal, the 2015 Wimbledon junior boys doubles champion, came back from a set down to beat Pan American Games gold medallist Joao Menezes of Brazil 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday to book his ticket for the US Open 2019. The 22-year-old Sumit Nagal, ranked 190 in the world, will face 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer at US Open’s showpiece court, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, in the first round.
Sumit Nagal is the second Indian to qualify for the US Open 2019 men’s singles main draw. He will join Prajnesh Gunneswaran, whose world ranking of 89 gave him an automatic seeding in the main draw of the 2019 US Open.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran will face ATP Cincinnati Masters winner Daniil Medvedev in his first round match.
For Sumit Nagal it will be the biggest highlight of his career so far as this will be his first main draw Grand Slam tournament match and only his third at the ATP Tour main draw level.
On Friday, Sumit Nagal came back from the dead after losing the first set 5-7. In the second set, the Indian player was 1-4 down when made an astonishing comeback to take the set 6-4 with the final set also going in his favour.
You the mannnnnn @nagalsumit
Qualifying into the main draw of the @usopen @kirrenrijju @IndianOilcl @IndianOil_Delhipic.twitter.com/Bnrhg2TQUk
— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) August 23, 2019
Sumit Nagal had beaten Canada’s Peter Polansky 7-5, 7-6 in two hours and five minutes in the second qualifying round to set up a clash against Joao Menezes.
Meanwhile, schedules for the first two days of the year’s final Grand Slam were released Friday by the US Tennis Association following the completion of qualifying matches.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will meet in Monday night’s first feature match at the US Open with Roger Federer and Sumit Nagal following them on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Monday’s day session begins with reigning French Open champion Ashleigh Barty, the second seed from Australia, facing Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan.
Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic launches his bid for his fifth title in six Grand Slam events after that against Spaniard Roberto Carbella Baena.
Monday’s schedule at Louis Armstrong Stadium includes Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova, chasing her first major title, against compatriot Tereza Martincova, Prajnesh Gunneswaran against Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev and China’s Zheng Saisai against seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams.
Tuesday’s schedule was also revealed with top-seeded defending women’s champion Naomi Osaka of Japan in the opener on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Russia’s Anna Blinkova.
Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem meets Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano in the next match.
Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal opens the night session against Australian John Millman, who upset Federer in last year’s first round, with 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens, the US 11th seed, facing Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
(With AFP inputs)
