File photo of Sumit Nagal.© AFP
Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal is set for his fifth appearance in a Grand Slam after earning a direct entry for the main draw of next year’s Australian Open. The 98th-ranked Nagal, who features in the entry list released by Tennis Australia on Friday, had to go through the qualifying rounds in the competition’s previous edition. In the first round, Nagal had stunned the 31st seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in straight sets to record a win by 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5), becoming the first Indian player to beat a seeded player in the main draw in singles at Grand Slam in 34 years.
However, Nagal’s journey ended in the following round with a defeat to wild-card Shang Juncheng of China.
Nagal’s career maintained an upward spike when he became the 10th player from India to break into top 100 in ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, reigning world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner is top seeded for the Australian Open, followed by Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic is seeded seventh.
In women’s singles, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is top seeded, followed by Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
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