Sumit Nagal of India secured a spot in the singles main draw of the Australian Open by defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan in the qualifying final. Nagal clinched the victory with a 6-4, 6-4 win in two hours and three minutes, sealing the match when his opponent double-faulted at 30-40 in the 10th game of the second set.

In the first round, Nagal is set to face Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan, who is currently ranked 31st in the world. Ranked 139th in singles, this marks Nagal’s second appearance in the main draw of the season’s initial Grand Slam, following his entry in 2021. In the 2021 Australian Open, Nagal lost in the opening round to Ricardas Berankis with a score of 2-6, 5-7, 3-6.

What a battle out there today 💪🏽

Delighted to make the main draw of the @AustralianOpen 😍 pic.twitter.com/x8kyebziys

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— Sumit Nagal (@nagalsumit) January 12, 2024

Game, Set, Match! 🎾

🇮🇳’s Sumit Nagal serves up a win at the 🇦🇺#AusOpen Qualifiers to make it to the main draw.

Sumit defeated Alex Molcan🇸🇰 6-4, 6-4 in straight games to enter the main draw of a #Tennis Grand Slam event.

Smash on, and all the best Sumit! 💪 pic.twitter.com/9fVPs6uFlR

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) January 12, 2024

Nagal had previously qualified for the main draw of the US Open in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, he challenged the legendary Roger Federer to four sets at the Flushing Meadows before succumbing to a 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 defeat. However, in the following year, Nagal advanced to the second round of the US Open by defeating Bradley Klahn in the first round with a score of 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. His journey ended in the second round with a loss to the second seed and eventual champion, Dominic Thiem, with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

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